London (AFP) – Everton manager Sam Allardyce said Thursday he is optimistic that club-record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson will be back before the end of the season, well ahead of the start of the World Cup.
The club said on Wednesday that the Iceland midfielder’s knee injury would sideline him for six to eight weeks but the Everton boss was unhappy with that estimate, saying somebody gave out a “wrong statement”.
Allardyce, whose side lie ninth in the Premier League table, said it was tough to predict the length of an injury accurately because some people heal more quickly than others.
“Medics and specialists give a conservative view and you try to beat that and try to get Gylfi back as soon as you can,” he said.
“We have a highly qualified medical staff and equipment to try to speed up any injury and I always felt it the wrong thing to do to tag an injury for its time limits because people recover quicker than others.”
“Gylfi’s motivation is obviously to get back playing for us and playing for Iceland in the World Cup,” added Allardyce, whose team travel to Stoke on Saturday.
Sigurdsson’s absence offers a potential vacancy in the number 10 role, which could be filled by Wayne Rooney, Tom Davies or even forgotten man Davy Klaassen.
Allardyce was spotted at Manchester United’s midweek Champions League match with Sevilla, whose midfielder Steven Nzonzi has been linked with a reunion with the Toffees boss after playing for him at Blackburn.
Asked about his trip to Old Trafford, Allardyce said: “I went to watch a couple of players from Seville.”
