Scotland ace to miss mammoth clash as boss reveals fresh setback amid ex-Rangers teammates' ACL heartbreak

Scotland full-back Nathan Patterson is set for another spell on the sidelines after Everton manager David Moyes confirmed the injury-ravaged defender has suffered yet another blow.

The 23-year-old was missing from the match-day squad as the Toffees were dumped out of the FA Cup by Bournemouth on Saturday thanks to first-half goals from Antoine Semenyo and Daniel Jebbison, and Moyes confirmed the ex-Rangers man was absent due to injury.

Joining the Goodison Park outfit in January 2022 for a reported fee of £15million, the former Ibrox academy product has found his time on Merseyside blighted by injury, starting just 24 games for Everton cross all competitions since joining the club over three years ago.

His injury problems have also restricted his involvement with the Scottish national team too, with the defender ruled out of the European Championships in the summer, and Steve Clarke unable to call on him since the 1-0 friendly defeat to Northern Ireland in March 2024. Patterson had also found his route to the first team blocked by former boss Sean Dyche, leading the ex-Ibrox favourite to being linked with a return to Govan in January.

Scotland defender Nathan Patterson has struggled with injury over the last 12 months. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

However, while he is to start a league game for the Toffees this season, the Glasgow born full-back has appeared more regularly since the appointment of Moyes, featuring in six of the club’s last seven games, including a start in Everton’s 2-0 win over Peterborough in the FA Cup third round.

However, the club have now confirmed he and fellow defender Vitalii Mykolenko have been struck down with injury, with the duo both huge doubts for Wednesday’s Merseyside derby clash with Liverpool at Goodison Park. “He [Patterson] felt his hamstring in training,” said Moyes. “That's why he wasn't here, he had a tight hamstring. I would think Wednesday would be too soon for him, probably.”

Elsewhere, Patterson’s former Rangers teammate Borna Barisic has been ruled out for the rest of the season, just one game into his loan spell at Spanish outfit Leganés. The Croatian full-back moved to the La Liga side on deadline day six months after he departed Ibrox to sign for Trabzonspor.

The 32-year-old had hoped for a fresh start in Spain after appearing just nine times in the Turkish Super Lig, but was forced to leave the field just seven minutes into his debut against Valencia on Sunday, with Leganés now confirming Barisic has been ‘diagnosed with a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee’ and confirmed he will not play again this season.