Everton might not have six first-team players for their trip to Southampton this weekend.

Even though Everton isn’t as sick or hurt as they were at the beginning of the season, they still have problems in their team. There were doubts about Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil’s health as the week came to a close.

Sean Dyche said McNeil might be able to go to Southampton, where he scored his first goal in a league game for Chelsea two years ago.

Last weekend, the 24-year-old limped off in the last few minutes of the draw with Fulham. On Thursday, he missed a training day at Goodison Park to work with the trainer instead.

Actually, Doucoure started the game last Saturday as well. He left that game with a minor groin injury, but he was supposed to be fine for the trip to St. Mary’s.

The biggest problem for the team right now is getting fit for games since a lot of important players have come back from injuries.

For Fulham, Jarrad Branthwaite, Seamus Coleman, and Nathan Patterson were all put on the bench. Branthwaite came on for the last few minutes. Two decisions Dyche has to make this week are whether to bring in the centre back and whether to give one of his expert right backs a chance. It is hoped that James Tarkowski’s small injuries from the first few weeks of the season are over.

But there are some longer-term problems that need to be dealt with in the camp. Armando Broja is the one who is most likely to come back. The forward came to Everton on loan from Chelsea on the last day of the transfer window, but he hasn’t been able to play yet because of an injury to his Achilles. He will still work with the sports science team, though, and he might be able to join the first team again next week to start the next step on his way to the matchday group.

Someone thinks that James Garner’s back injury during the last international break is not related to the stress fracture that kept him out for a few months in his first season at Everton, even though Dyche said that before the trip to Southampton that Garner would be out for at least a month.

It will also be longer for Tim Iroegbunam and Youssef Chermiti. Chermiti had surgery on his foot after a good start to the training, and Iroegbunam hurt his foot last month.