With Richarlison set to miss three games for Everton, his return will give the Toffees a true measure of the Brazilian and Marco Silva.
Richarlison was sent off as Everton drew 2-2 with Bournemouth at the weekend after the Brazilian got into an altercation with Adam Smith.
He’ll now miss Premier League games against Huddersfield Town and West Ham United, with both meetings at Goodison Park.
Exactly how Everton cope without the 21-year-old remains to be seen but perhaps the most interesting question is how Richarlison himself will manage once he returns.
The following three games for the Toffees will be away at Arsenal, at home to Fulham, and away at Leicester City – all difficult games against side expecting to challenge in the top half like Everton.
And they’ll be a real test regardless for Richarlison, given their stature and that he’ll be coming back after a month away from the Everton first team.
It upsets the momentum that he’s gathered over his first couple of games – Richarlison scored twice on his debut vs Wolverhampton Wanderers and added another against Southampton – and we saw last season how that affected him.
His brilliant start to life at Watford was halted once things got complicated with Marco Silva. The then-Watford coach became a target for Everton and that had a clear impact on his team as their form plummeted afterwards, including that of their Brazilian star.
Richarlison never regained that form but has started his Everton career equally well, if not better, and his ability to get back into that rhythm will be the big test of his career on Merseyside.
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