Everton drop selection hint ahead of Aston Villa clash that will be major boost

Everton under-21s suffered a 2-0 loss to Burton Albion in the EFL Trophy last night.

Two goals inside 20 minutes from the League One Brewers courtesy of Mason Bennett and Adedeji Oshilaja unlocked the young Toffees at the Pirelli Stadium.

But as Sean Dyche watched from the stands, Jack Harrison was not involved - suggesting he may feature on the bench in tonight’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa. Harrison has still to feature for Everton since signing from Leeds United on a season-long loan in the summer transfer window. The winger arrived with a hip injury that he sustained at the back end of last season and has been in recovery.

Harrison returned to full team training earlier this month but is yet to feature in a match-day squad. He was, however, handed a 45-minute cameo for the under-21s in a 2-1 victory over Norwich City last Friday. And after not featuring against Burton, he could well be in the match-day squad against Villa this evening

Speaking on Harrison’s fitness before last Saturday’s 3-1 win against Brentford, Blues manager Sean Dyche said: “He’s not ready to start. He’s just back on the grass and he’s going very well. His fitness looks good, but, no, he’s not ready to go yet. We just have to delay him a little bit. He’s been out for a few months, but he’s looking fit and looking sharp."