Everton dealt fresh injury setback as £20m star now set to miss Aston Villa clash.

This season, Everton has endured hardships on and off the field. A ten-point deduction and other penalties have been imposed in their interactions with the latter, while the Toffees needed to play five league games before they were able to find any sort of consistency with the former.

It’s no accident that Dwight McNeil, who had been sidelined by injury at the beginning of the term, returned at the same time as this unanticipated turnabout.

The former Burnley winger, who stepped up last campaign during the club’s hour of need, has grown into an integral player for the club. And, since Sean Dyche’s appointment, that importance has only increased.

So, to see him stretchered off against Crystal Palace was a huge worry, especially given the last time fans saw a player get dragged off in such a manner at Selhurst Park effectively marked the end of Andros Townsend’s Everton career. Whilst his ailment is unlikely to be as severe, the latest update has suggested that he is still unfit for first-team training, and therefore a doubt for this Sunday’s match against Aston Villa.

How important has Dwight McNeil been for Everton?

This season actually seems poised to be another of huge importance for the 24-year-old, given how he is operating within a side far more potent and confident than the one last season. For example, his seven goals last year actually made him the club’s top scorer, and yet Abdoulaye Doucoure has nearly equaled that tally already.