Idrissa Gueye was back in action for Senegal after being forced to withdraw from Everton’s last game against Bournemouth with injury.
Gueye has handed manager Sean Dyche a potential selection boost ahead of Saturday’s game against Liverpool after returning to action for his country.
Gueye was due to start in Everton’s previous match – a 3-0 win over Bournemouth on October 7 – but withdrew with a heel injury that boss Dyche revealed he was already aware of, following the final warm-up drills.
The midfielder’s place against the Cherries was taken by Amadou Onana but Gueye was back on the pitch at Lens’ Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Monday night.
The 34-year-old came on as a 78th-minute substitute for ex-Leicester City man Nampalys Mendy – now playing his club football for Lens – in Senegal’s 1-0 friendly win over fellow west Africans Cameroon after former Liverpool player Sadio Mane scored the only goal of the game for ‘The Lions of Teranga’ with a 35th-minute penalty.
Senegal – who will face Cameroon again, along with Gambia and Guinea in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next January, potentially taking Gueye away from Everton in the middle of the English domestic season – get back to competitive action next month as they start their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against South Sudan and Togo.
Before then of course is Saturday’s trip across Stanley Park for the 243rd Merseyside Derby at Anfield with Gueye’s Senegal comeback now putting him in contention for a recall in the Everton engine room.
The Dakar-born player is a veteran of eight previous Merseyside Derbies – making his Blues return from Paris Saint-Germain as a substitute in the 0-0 draw against Jurgen Klopp’s side at Goodison Park last season – but in 10 matches against Liverpool (he also lost to them twice with Aston Villa) he is still yet to be on the winning side with a record of four draws and six defeats.
