Everton have been dealt a major injury blow as it has been revealed that key defender Leighton Baines is set to miss up to three months of action after undergoing ankle surgery.
News of the England international’s setback was announced on the Toffees official Twitter account on Thursday night and he is now set for lengthy spell on the sidelines.
INJURY UPDATE: Leighton Baines has today undergone a successful ankle operation but will be out for 12-14 weeks: http://t.co/Y9FwyfJKzO #EFC
— Everton (@Everton) August 13, 2015
The 30-year-old had an operation on the same ankle towards the end of last season and made his return for the club during pre-season, however, he suffered a recurrence of the injury in training on the eve of the new Premier League campaign and was forced sit out the 2-2 draw against Watford at Goodison Park last weekend.
With Baines set to be unavailable until at least November, manager Roberto Martinez is likely to turn to Costa Rica international Bryan Oviedo to fill the void at left-back, but there is still likely to be caution over the player’s long-term fitness as he has suffered two major injuries since his arrival on Merseyside in 2012.
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