Everton will travel to Turf Moor tonight in an important relegation clash against Burnley that could either put the side in a much better position if they win, or damage their chances of safety even further if they lose, and now there has been some bad news from Frank Lampard ahead of the game.

What's the word?

The Blues boss took to his pre-match press conference to deliver an update on Donny van de Beek's fitness after he was pulled from the team during the warm-up ahead of the West Ham United game at the London Stadium last weekend.

Lampard told the press:

"Donny won't be fit. It's a small grade thigh injury, which will make him fit for the match against Leicester City. He is ineligible to play against Manchester United at the weekend anyway."

Supporters will be worried

At such a vulnerable time in the season losing players will be an absolute nightmare for Lampard and will surely leave supporters worried about what lies ahead when you consider the difficult fixtures coming up in the remaining weeks for Everton.

The Toffees still need to take on Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and go to Anfield in the Merseyside Derby in their last ten league games and it is imperative that they pick up points wherever they can to maintain their Premier League status next season.

There is a silver lining in the storm for Everton as Fabian Delph has been confirmed as available for selection, however his lack of match fitness and sharpness returning from a long period of injury could be a cause for concern, but Lampard will surely be hoping he can hit the ground running and make an instant impact with his experience in the squad to deliver what is need.

As the ex-Chelsea boss has confirmed that the injury to the Man United loanee is small, there is hope that the midfielder could be available for selection again by next weekend which will be an absolute blessing for Lampard, and the fact that he is not eligible to play against his parent club at Goodison Park this weekend should give him the extra rest he needs to come back fresh.

Everton have a challenging week with a tight fixture schedule after playing West Ham on Sunday, Burnley tonight and then the early kick-off against Manchester United on Saturday, so Lampard must do everything he can to ensure the side not only pick up important points but must keep the squad fresh in this tight run of games, avoiding more injuries and suspensions.

In other news: Lampard must finally axe £19.8m-rated "liability" who has "cost Everton dearly" again