Romelu Lukaku Avoids Major Ankle Injury

Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Chelsea FC loanee and Everton FC striker Romelu Lukaku was injured in last night’s Merseyside derby but the injury has turned out to be much less severe than initially reported. What was reported as an ankle injury with major ligament damage is now like a sprain which will cause the youngster to only miss 3-4 weeks of the season. He will likely be out for the entirety of the month of February and should be fit and ready for the match against West Ham United on March 1st.

The confirmation from Everton here:

Obviously any injury is bad news but this one may have a silver lining as it will allow the fatigued looking Lukaku to rest. His loan spell at Everton got off to a blistering start and the Belgian scored on his debut and netted three times in his next 4 matches for the Toffees. Lukaku has hit a dry spell recently and has only scored once in his last nine matches. Many attribute that to the lack of rest and the fact that the youngster has started nearly every Premiership match for Everton and may simply be a bit burnt out.

This forced layoff may be the best thing to happen for Lukaku as he has already proved in his two loan spells that he is a dangerous striker in the Premiership and a few weeks on the sideline will not change that perception. His focus now should be on returning fit to the starting lineup and regaining his fine form from early on in the season. Everton still have matches against Manchester City and Arsenal so his loan club, and Chelsea, will certainly look to him to wreak havoc on their rivals.