Everton facing fresh injury concerns ahead of Sheffield United trip as Bramall Lane atmosphere claim made

Sean Dyche is expecting the Bramall Lane crowd to play a role in Sheffield United's Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday afternoon.

The Blades welcome the Toffees to South Yorkshire at 12.30pm on Saturday with both sides losing all three of their league fixtures so far this term.

Paul Heckingbottom's side were undone by a late goal against last season's treble winners Manchester City while Everton suffered a 1-0 loss to Wolves last weekend.

"I went to the game [Sheffield United against Manchester City]. They are an outfit that have worked very hard to get to where they have got to," said Everton boss Dyche ahead of Saturday’s fixture.

"The manager there has worked hard with them, he doesn't mind working direct when they need to. They work as a unit, they work very hard. They put up a good show against City.

"They are new to the division, they'll have the crowd with them. We've performed well for two out of the three. We have to score goals."

Former Blades striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to feature after suffering a facial injury against Aston Villa but the good news for Everton is he will not need surgery. Dwight McNeil is back in training and could be included against the Blades but Jack Harrison, who joined on loan from Leeds United, is still out.

Dyche continued: "It is nothing that needs surgery but there was a minor situation on his sinus area which is delicate so he has to be careful with it. The good news from an overall picture is he has been able to train through it, not with us because of the type of injury it is, but he has been able to keep fit. Then as we go into the weekend we see how fragile it is. No surgery.

"Dwight is just back on the grass with us, the training group, so another one we would have to make a decision on, but he is feeling pretty strong. Jack is on the grass with the sport science team, but not with us yet, so he'd have to get to that stage before the next steps. He'd probably need a build-up, but he is going well."

Dyche also revealed there were some injury worries from Everton's narrow win over Doncaster Rovers on Wednesday night but did not divulge further details.

He added: "We started losing bodies at the end of pre-season. We lost a couple at Villa, then last night [against Doncaster] that we're hoping aren't too serious. It's not ideal."