Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall & Branthwaite: Latest Everton injury news and expected return dates

Everton face a stern test in the Premier League this Saturday when they take on leaders Arsenal a the Hill Dickinson Stadium – and to make a tough game even more challenging, the Toffees head into the match with fresh injury worries hanging over their heads.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had to be substituted early in the first half during the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea this weekend, while Jack Grealish is another player who came off with an apparent fitness issue before the end of the match. With Africa Cup of Nations call-ups also hitting David Moyes’ squad, Everton could be forced to make do without as many as seven first-team players for the game against Arsenal.

We’ve collected all of the latest Everton injury news below ahead of Saturday’s late kick-off, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.

Will Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish miss time for Everton?

The most serious new concern for Everton heading into this weekend’s match is the fitness of summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was replaced after just 15 minutes against Chelsea after going down with an apparent muscular injury.

Moyes later told the media that Dewsbury-Hall had come into the match with “tightness” in his hamstring before he “felt it during the game,” leading to the decision to replace the 27-year-old with Charly Alcaraz.

To add to the concerns, Jack Grealish also came off shortly before the end of Saturday's match in apparent discomfort and Moyes later revealed that he, too, “felt his hamstring a little bit” towards the end of the game.

As it stands, neither player has been confirmed to be out for the Arsenal match but both players are set for further tests over the course of the week, with Dewsbury-Hall a particular source of concern. Neither player has been ruled out definitively at the time of writing, however, with further updates likely to follow later in the week.

Could Jarrad Branthwaite or Merlin Röhl be fit to face Arsenal?

While Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish are doubts, both Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) and Merlin Röhl (groin) are expected to remain out despite recently returning to training.

German midfielder Röhl was recently said by Moyes to be “much further on in his recovery than [Branthwaite] but they are both back on grass now… There is a chance we get them both back soon.”

Röhl is likely to need another week or so before he is back in action and could be available for Everton’s game against Burnley on 27 December, while Branthwaite is more likely to make his long-awaited comeback in late January, although a precise timeline has yet to be revealed.

Full-back Seamus Coleman is also expected to make his return from a hamstring injury towards the end of January, while Everton will have to get by without both Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye until at least the beginning of January with both players called up to represent Senegal at AFCON 2025. Full details of how AFCON will affect Premier League clubs and the points at which they might return to England can be found here.