Nathan Patterson – Scotland
Out of all the Blues on international duty during the break, it was undoubtedly Nathan Patterson making the most headlines and not in a positive way. The right-back’s outstanding start to the season with the Toffees meant he was in line to heavily feature in two Nations League matches for his native Scotland against Ukraine and one against Republic of Ireland. However, he managed only 26 minutes of the first match after going down with an ankle injury against Ukraine. He had to be stretchered off and initial fears suggested the 20-year-old was going to spend a lengthy amount of time on the sidelines. However, Everton have confirmed he will be out for four/five weeks, a much shorter period than first thought but a huge blow nonetheless.
Anthony Gordon – England U21’s
In more positive news, Anthony Gordon appeared in two England U21 matches, coming off the bench to play the last 20 minutes away at Italy and then starting a 3-1 win over Germany in which he bagged two assists. The 21-year-old has made a decent start to the season with the Toffees after being linked with a big-money move to Chelsea during the summer and performances like this on the international stage will only further boost his confidence.
James Garner – England U21’s
Sticking with the England youth, Evertonians were also given their first glimpse of James Garner since he signed from Manchester United on Deadline Day for an undisclosed fee. Similarly to Gordon, the central midfielder was also brought on for the final 20 minutes as England beat Italy 2-0 before starting against the Germans. He struck the bar from a corner and had an all-round impressive performance which will have whet the appetites of fans eager to see him play in an Everton shirt.
Alex Iwobi – Nigeria
Alex Iwobi has been the star of the Blues’ season so far, even being nominated for Premier League Player of the Month for September. He continued that good form with the Nigeria national side in two friendlies against an Algeria B Team, scoring a sublime long-range goal and running the show as his side drew the first match 2-2. However, he didn’t quite have the same impact in the second game as the Super Eagles lost 2-1 to Algeria’s First Team.
Seamus Coleman – Ireland
The aforementioned injury to Patterson meant interest in the international performances of Seamus Coleman will have been higher than first anticipated. The captain actually played the last 16 minutes of the second match Patterson was meant to be involved in but failed to get off the bench in his nation’s second tie: a 3-2 win over Armenia. This does not bode well when it comes to the 33-year-old’s match sharpness, as he will almost certainly be thrust straight into the starting line-up when Everton travel to Southampton on Saturday.
Amadou Onana – Belgium
Amadou Onana remained on the bench for Belgium’s 2-1 win against Wales in the UEFA Nations League however the £33m summer signing from Lille made his first start, and only second appearance, for the senior Belgium national side’s 1-0 defeat to the Netherlands before being replaced by Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
Vitalii Mykolenko – Ukraine
Everton’s left-back was an unused substitute in Ukraine’s 3-0 defeat to Scotland which seen his Everton teammate Nathan Patterson stretchered off. Myko went on to play the entirety of Ukraine’s next two matches: a 5-0 demolition of Armenia and a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture against Scotland.
Idrissa Gueye – Senegal
Idrissa Gueye played in two friendlies for his native Senegal during the break. The midfielder, who returned to Goodison Park from PSG during the summer, came off the bench to play the last 15 minutes of Senegal’s 2-0 win over Bolivia before playing the full 90 as his side drew 1-1 in Iran, the day after his 33rd birthday.
Conor Coady – England
Conor Coady’s strong start to life at Everton earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad but he failed to make it off the bench for two matches against Italy and Germany, which were both disappointing results for the Three Lions.
Salomon Rondon – Venezuela
Salomon Rondon will have fallen down the pecking order for Frank Lampard’s team as a result of Neal Maupay’s arrival from Brighton and the imminent return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin from injury. Nevertheless, he did find the net for Venezuela in a 4-0 thrashing of the United Arab Emirates during the break.
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