Everton have been hit with an injury blow ahead of their Premier League opener, after injury doubts over Gerard Deulofeu were realised, as he was ruled out of their opening fixture against Watford.
Manager Roberto Martinez said that the former Barcelona winger is close to returning but "the weekend will be too early for him".
A chance for a turnaround
After spending 2013 on loan at Everton, and a horrible loan spell at Sevilla, Barcelona have decided to move on from Deulofeu and sold him to Everton for a fee of 4.2M.
While he struggled in La Liga, Deulofeu had a good season with Everton. He will add more winger depth and add a bit of flare to the side. With rumors swirling that Kevin Mirallas could still be on his way out of Goodison, bringing in the former La Masia product is a good depth move.
Out of the Watford game
But he may miss the opener due to a hamstring injury he suffered in July during the Asia tour. The 21 year old won't be out for long, but Everton won't likely rush him back knowing that the season is just starting.
But they would prefer to have him in the squad as they face a tough test at the beginning of the season. Everton face the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton all in the first few weeks of the start of the league. The Toffees will be hoping they have a full squad to face a tough row of teams in the first few weeks and hope the season doesn't end before it fully started.
The likes of John Stones and Mirallas are also nursing injuries, and their status for the opener against the newly promoted Hornets is up in the air as well.
The reasonable return for Deulofeu could be against Southampton but he won't be rushed back and he shouldn't. Although he will most likey miss the Watford fixture, the Spanish winger will be looking to build off the success he had in 2013 and show Everton he was worth the fee to bring him to Goodison Park.