Everton fear Eliaquim Mangala faces a ‘long-term’ spell on the sidelines.
Mangala joined the Blues on a deadline day loan from Manchester City and made two starts in their hammering at Arsenal and a win over Crystal Palace.
But a knee injury picked up while contesting a corner against the Eagles prevented the France international from completing last weekend’s game.
An early prognosis predicted that Mangala would face several months on the sidelines, seemingly bore out by Everton boss Sam Allardyce’s latest comments.
He said: “The injuries this week were a blow.
“With Mangala in particular – that looks like it could be long-term, which is a great shame for him and for us because I think he was a very good addition to the squad.
“But, overall, we are in a good position to try to finish the season strongly.”