By Ben Dinnery

23rd Mar, 2022 | 10:00am

Everton news: Medical expert fears Andros Townsend out for a 'long time' with 'ACL' damage

Everton wide man Andros Townsend could be out for a “long time” if he has indeed suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage.

That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.

Townsend, 30, broke down off the ball less than 20 minutes into the 4-0 FA Cup defeat to his old side Crystal Palace last Sunday (20 March).

As quoted by The Athletic later that day, Toffees boss Frank Lampard revealed: “The early signs are that it will be a bad knee injury.”

And Dinnery fears that Townsend is facing months out with an ACL injury.

“It’s never good when we’re talking non-contact knee injuries,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“You see the leg bend inwards. That can be indicative of a problem with the ACL.

“The medical team conducted tests on the side of the field to test the integrity of that ACL.

“I think their initial thoughts were that this is a possibility that there is some ACL involvement. Those tests give a fairly good indication.

“That is reflected in what we have heard from Frank Lampard in his post-match interviews. It looks like it’s going to be a long time on the sidelines.

“The player will be sent for imaging and that will confirm any suspicion with regards to the injury.

“It will also identify whether there is any secondary damage in and around that joint.

“At this stage, the concern is that there is ACL involvement. To what extent, the imaging will confirm.

“Reading between the lines, we could be looking at several months on the sidelines.”

Townsend signed for Everton as a free agent in July last year after his Palace deal expired.

He has scored seven goals and supplied four assists in 27 appearances this season.

In other news, pundit suggests four “£100,00-a-week” stars could be at Everton next season after “massive” update.