Yannick Bolasie could be miss a further eight months for Everton as the winger prepares to undergo a second round of knee surgery.
Bolasie has been absent for the Blues since suffering the cruciate ligament injury in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the beginning of December.
Ronald Koeman admitted last month that the DR Congo international may not make a return to the Goodison Park fold until early 2018 at the earliest.
And the Everton manager admits that his initial prediction is likely to ring true with Bolasie potentially missing from first-team action for up to eight months.
He said: “Yannick will have a second surgery at the beginning of March.
“The surgery was expected because his first surgery was about the meniscus, and now what will happen at the beginning of March is about his cruciate.
“It is difficult to put a timescale because normally a cruciate can be six, seven or eight months.
“We had to repair the meniscus and then wait until his knee was ready to have the second operation.”