Roberto Martinez has stated that Ross Barkley could be out for as much as six weeks with a fractured toe, a period that would see the midfielder miss the Merseyside Derby. It is thought the injury could be similar to the recent Baines injury, which saw the left-back miss the end of November to the end of December.
Barkley missed the visit of Norwich on Saturday after picking up what was thought to be a knock against QPR, which unfortunately has furthered into a fracture.
Martinez told The Guardian: “Ross’s toe could be broken and he might be out for a while. We will assess it to see if there is a displacement. It is very similar to what happened with Leighton Baines. We fear it could be a fracture.
“Sometimes if the problem is well settled, they can play straight away. Otherwise they need a couple of weeks or even longer. Leighton’s was a bad one, it took six weeks.”
Martínez is taking the Everton squad to Tenerife for warm-weather training on Sunday and, despite the need for further scans on his toe, Barkley is due to travel. “Ross will come with us. A bit of vitamin D intake will help him.”
He will be sorely missed after scoring the opener against QPR and the winner against Swansea in recent weeks. His replacement is likely to be Leon Osman, who recently got the vital assist against Stoke and started as a replacement for Barkley against Norwich.
Read our fan article piece, on whether Osman should be Barkley’s replacement or whether other options would suit Everton better over the coming weeks: http://myevertonnews.com/barkleys-replacement/