Sean Dyche drops Mason Holgate Everton hint and responds to Roman Dixon question

Everton will head to Tottenham Hotspur amid a crisis in defence. Ashley Young will be suspended for the trip to London on Saturday following his straight red card in the disastrous opening day defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

It means fifth-choice centre-back Mason Holgate may now fill the role next the weekend - unless Sean Dyche opts for a tactical reshuffle.

That is because alternative options Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson and James Garner are all injured and, Blues boss Dyche said after the 3-0 loss to Brighton, unlikely to be fit to return.

Patterson is in the final stages of recovery after hamstring surgery while Garner, a central midfielder who has played on the right of defence for Everton and England Under-21s, and Coleman both have calf issues that were picked up in pre-season.

Dyche has used Holgate at right back in the past - though the experiment ended prematurely when he was sent off while in that position at Crystal Palace the season before last.

Asked whether he was favourite to operate there at Spurs, the manager acknowledged Holgate’s introduction late in this defeat was with that in mind.

Dyche said: “Yeah, the squad is what it is. We have added to it and tried to find a balance but have been a bit unfortunate with injuries.

“None of them, apart from Youssef [Chermiti’s], are drastic but they are all two or three weeks and that can cost you at this early stage when you’ve got the games coming and have just finished pre-season.”

Asked whether he could turn to the academy - England youth prospect Roman Dixon scored one and created another for the Under-21s against Blackburn on Friday and was around the senior setup during pre-season - Dyche said: “It’s a big ask for under-21s to dive straight in but we’ll certainly have to look at the best available options.

“Certainly for the next week. You never know for the cup game and two weeks' time.”

After the visit to Tottenham Hotspur, Everton return to Goodison Park to take on League Two outfit Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the Carabao Cup.