Everton crashed out of the FA Cup after losing to Manchester United on Friday night at Old Trafford but the disappointing result wasn’t the only disaster to come out of the clash for Frank Lampard.

Alex Iwobi suffered an ankle ligament injury in the second half of the fixture and was stretchered off the pitch following a tackle by Tyrell Malacia.

Now an update has been revealed via the club’s official website that the attacking midfielder will be out for at least the next three weeks to recover, something that will be frustrating for the Everton boss.

It is no secret that Iwobi has had one of the most dramatic transformations at Goodison Park since Lampard arrived at the club in January 2022 with the manager getting the very best version of the player despite the squad struggling to compete in the Premier League.

The Toffees are currently 18th in the top flight with just 15 points collected out of a possible 54 so far over their first 18 outings and there will need to be huge improvements made as soon as possible if the club are to have any hope of retaining their Premier League status.

Everton face relegation competitors Southampton and West Ham United over their next two league fixtures and taking all three points from both meetings will be essential to ensure they can get into a much more comfortable position going into the second half of the campaign.

As a result, although Iwobi should be back in February it could be the perfect opportunity for the Merseysiders to try again to sign summer target Mohammed Kudus.

It is reported that Everton had a bid rejected for the Ajax attacker last year but with the latest injury to Iwobi and the team’s lack of goal contributions over the campaign so far - it could be perfect timing to strike a deal.

The Ghanaian ace - who has a reported transfer valuation of £40m - ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for shots on goal, passes attempted, pass completion rate, progressive passes, dribbles completed and touches, proving that he is one of the hottest prospects in Europe.

Kudus also offers complete versatility in the attacking threat and could be invaluable to the former Chelsea boss going forward as he can cover a multitude of roles on the pitch.

The 22-year-old - who was hailed a “special talent” by Yaw Ampofo Jr - has earned most of his experience across an attacking midfield role and in central midfield, proving he could be the perfect Iwobi replacement. A further positive is that they could play in the same team as well, with Kudus a player capable of featuring in a wide position or as the main central forward.

With that being said, Lampard could fix a number of his problem areas with the signing of the Ghana international this month and if he could continue his talent at Goodison Park it would put Everton in a fantastic position to compete in the Premier League.