Everton pair Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman will miss tomorrow night’s Merseyside derby with Liverpool.
Jagielka sustained a hamstring strain in the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Watford a fortnight ago, while Coleman picked up a similar injury during last weekend’s similar stalemate against Southampton.
The news comes as a major blow to manager Roberto Martinez’s hopes of navigating a tricky week, with the Blues set to face Manchester United in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final barely three days after the Anfield clash.
He said: “Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman will definitely be out of the derby but it us too early to make a final decision before the weekend.
“At this evening’s session we are going to assess Aaron Lennon, Tom Cleverley and Leighton Baines to have a final decision. They are very close and we will have a better idea if they are back for tomorrow.
“Tony Hibbert isn’t ready for first team action yet after he got 45 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday night.”
Everton, who welcome back James McCarthy from suspension, will however be able to call on the considerable talents of attacking duo Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley; both of whom were previously considered to be doubts for tomorrow night’s match.