Everton midfielder, Alex Iwobi has received plaudits from the club’s immediate past interim coach, Duncan Ferguson, for attempting to keep playing after coping a hamstring injury in last weekend’s English Premier League clash with his former club, Arsenal, megasportsarena.com reports.
Iwobi bowed under pain after just ten minutes of Saturday’s game, which was his first match against The Gunners since leaving them in the summer, but the Super Eagles’ playmaker opted to put up a gallant fight to continue playing, which has now gained applause from his coach.
The Everton legend recalled he feared the worst for Iwobi when he saw the player nursing his thigh, as he felt it was a hamstring complaint and, even after the confirmation came, he praised the player for showing great character in trying to continue playing.
Iwobi eventually had to go off in the 11th minute of the game, in which both sides battled out a barren draw, after which Ferguson, who had been serving as Everton’s interim manager since the sack of Marco Silva two weeks ago, saluted the lad’s bravery in trying staying on the pitch.
After arriving at Goodison Park from Arsenal four months ago, Iwobi has featured in 20 matches this season for The Toffees and struck target twice, much to the admiration of Ferguson, who on the same day replaced by Italian gaffer, Carlo Ancelotti as Everton’s new permanent manager.
It means Iwobi will not have the chance of immediately playing himself into the good books of Ancelotti, who took over Everton in a four-and-a-half-year deal, taking his history of winning 20 trophies, including three UEFA Champions League titles, to Merseyside.
Iwobi will now hope top battle back fast from the injury he copped while Ancelotti watched his new team from the stands, especially with a litany of top matches coming over the festive period, but the Eagles star will have to await a final scan to ascertain the extent of his injury.
He is already in doubt for the Boxing Day home fixture against Burnley, after which Everton will be on the road to Newcastle United two days later, then play away to Manchester City on New Years’ Day and head to their FA Cup trip away to Liverpool on January 5.
Iwobi is in line to miss at least three of these upcoming games, which would be a personally high disappointment for him, so soon after the arrival of a ‘new sheriff in town,’ as well the entire missing his services for that period of time, but Ferguson is giving the lad so form of consolation and solace with sweet words about his gallantry against Arsenal on Saturday.
The ex-Everton sensation, fondly called The Crocodile during his playing days, had nothing but praise for the Eagles’ star that was signed on summer transfer deadline day from Arsenal, and has since picked up under his boots 1,384 minutes of playing time in all competitions.
Ferguson told Everton TV: “It’s a hamstring. It shows you the character of the man. He pulls his hamstring and he stays on the pitch. So we all know it’s a hamstring and he stays on.”
