Five Everton players ruled out of Liverpool derby as Sean Dyche could turn to rookie

Sean Dyche has confirmed that Beto will be forced to miss Everton’s next two games after his sickening blow.

The striker clashed heads with Morgan Gibbs-White in last Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. He was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital - and must now follow FA concussion protocol.

It means that Beto will miss tonight’s Merseyside derby against Liverpool and the encounter against Brentford on Saturday - both at Goodison Park.

Dyche said: "[Beto] definitely won't feature for these next couple of games but he will be back after that - following the protocols, and rightly so. Good news so far. He has had all the checks needed and he's fine. Obviously, he took a real knock but I thought the staff were terrific and obviously we want that. All staff involved were terrific - getting on there quick and dealing with things effectively on his behalf."

What’s more, Everton are sweating on the fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who came off against Forest with a knee knock. Dyche is hopeful the England international can feature. If not then the Blues will be short of a senior striking option. It could mean a full Premier League debut for Youseff Chermiti. He’s made 15 appearances since arriving from Sporting CP but all from the substitutes’ bench. Arnaut Danjuma would be a makeshift option.

Captain Seamus Coleman is back in training after a groin issue but has been ruled out. Nathan Patterson (hamstring) won’t play again this term while Dele (groin) and Lewis Dobbin (ankle) are still unavailable. Dele has not made an appearance this term.