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Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in contention for Everton’s trip to Premier League champions Manchester City tomorrow.
The England international, 25, missed the Boxing Day defeat by Wolves due to a lack of match fitness after struggling with injuries.
But Toffees boss Frank Lampard said: “He is in the squad.”
Calvert-Lewin has made just six appearances this season and Everton, who are only one point above the bottom three, have found goals hard to come by without him.
Lampard, who has seen his side score just 12 goals in their 16 league games, added: “We lost Richarlison [in the summer] and haven’t had Dominic, barring a few games.
“When you lose that firepower, it might not be easy to replace in terms of pure goals and output.
“Having Dominic back in the fold is a great thing for us because players who can make the difference at the top end of the pitch like that mean points. It’s as simple as that.”
More to come
Denis Zakaria has vowed there is more to come from both him and Chelsea.
The Switzerland international, 26, made his Premier League debut as the Blues returned from the mid-season break with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
And Zakaria, on loan at Stamford Bridge from Juventus, is keen to nail down a regular place in Graham Potter’s side as they push to climb the table.
He said: “I’m really happy for the team and for the big win. I thought my performance could have been better so I wasn’t very happy with that but we won and that’s the most important thing.
“I’m pleased to get some minutes in the legs. That was good and important for me. I have to keep working and it will be better with time.
“We saw that we have to do some things better and it wasn’t our best match but the important thing was the win and we have to work now for the next game.”
While Zakaria only played 149 minutes at the World Cup before Switzerland were knocked out in the last 16 by Portugal, the midfielder admits the hectic schedule for club and country has been tricky to manage.
But with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday followed by a double-header with Manchester City quickly around the corner, he is fully focused on being ready whenever Potter needs him.
Zakaria added: “This year is a bit difficult for the players because we have a lot of games.
“But we are professional footballers and we love to play football so in the end we are happy to do it.
“We know we have a lot of games coming so we have do our best to win every one of them and we’re going to work all week to do that.”
Fitting tribute
Eddie Howe has saluted an “absolute giant” of football following the death of Brazil legend Pele.
The three-time World Cup winner, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, passed away in Sao Paulo at the age of 82 yesterday after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.
And Magpies boss Howe, 45, was quick to pay tribute ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Leeds tomorrow.
He said: “In my era, you grew up knowing of Pele, thinking of him as the best player the world had ever seen at that moment.
“It’s very, very sad. Whenever an icon passes away, it’s a very sad moment for football.
“I’ll chat with the Brazilian players we have. He’s an absolute giant in Brazil for obvious reasons for what he achieved for the country, so I’ll certainly be having a conversation and speaking to them about him.”
Saint no time to mope
Nathan Jones insists struggling Southampton cannot afford to dwell on past mistakes as they bid to claw their way out of trouble.
The rock-bottom Saints have conceded in 15 of their 16 Premier League outings this term and have not registered a top-flight win since beating Bournemouth 1-0 in October.
Ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Fulham, boss Jones said: “We have to pick a side that can hopefully defend better.
“Having kept one clean sheet in 16, that’s not good enough. If you’d kept three or four in 16 games then you’re sitting in a different position now.
“Yes, there would still be work to do but we’d be in a better position and that’s what we have to do.
“We can’t dwell on anything. We know we’ve had defensive deficiencies. And that’s not just individuals, that’s as a team and as a collective.
“We need to be better and that’s why we’re here.”
Forest of fear
Steve Cooper fears Nottingham Forest will not find the consistency needed to retain their Premier League status until he has a fully settled squad.
Forest made 22 signings in the summer following promotion from the Championship — with Brazilian Gustavo Scarpa set to become the 23rd on January 1 — and the dressing room overhaul contributed to a difficult start to life back in the top flight.
With the Midlands outfit planning to bring in more fresh faces during the January sales, Cooper is all too aware that he needs a consistent group of players.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea, the Forest boss, 43, said: “Togetherness, spirit and culture comes over the course of time. There’s no doubt about that.
“That’s the intention and it’s games where you learn a lot about players’ personalities and characters and they learn a lot themselves.
“That’s how they build relationships. So yes, we are going to need a settled group. But if you look at the number of games we’ve got coming up, we’re going to need more than a team.
“Injuries can happen. And you can make five changes in a team.
“You need to prepare for more than a starting XI because there’s so many times when players have come off the bench and had a positive impact for us — sometimes a negative one as well. It’s a good reminder all the time of preparing everyone that we can.
“But we have got to get consistency and that’s what we are trying to do.”
