Everton’s relegation rivals Burnley have been rocked by a further injury blow with Matej Vydra set to be out for the season. It comes after their stand-in skipper James Tarkowski limped off during their 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Striker Vydra suffered a ruptured cruciate knee ligament during the previous weekend’s 2-1 win at Watford and could be sidelined for six to nine months. The Czech international had previously been overlooked by Sean Dyche but became increasingly important under caretaker manager Mike Jackson and scored the crucial winner against Wolves last month.
Tarkowski, standing in as captain for the already injured Ben Mee, went off in the 47th minute with a hamstring problem. It is unclear how serious the problem is but, with just two weeks left of the Premier League campaign, it comes at the worst possible time for the Clarets. Skipper Mee has been out since the start of March and has been assisting Jackson in the dugout. There are doubts over whether he will feature again this season.
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Ashley Westwood is a long-term absentee for Burnley after his serious injury during last month’s draw at West Ham United - as is Johann Berg Gudmundsson. Both are set to miss the rest of the campaign. While Jay Rodriguez limped out of the warm-up at Watford with a hamstring problem. These are significant worries for the Clarets as not only are they first-team players, but they are also experienced squad members who have been crucial in keeping the club in the top flight over recent years.
Burnley ended Saturday's defeat to Villa with a relatively inexperienced back-four of Connor Roberts, Nathan Collins, Kevin Long and Charlie Taylor.
It was a defeat that Everton took full advantage of, winning at Leicester City on Sunday to move above Burnley and Leeds United - who have both played one game more - and out of the relegation places.
