Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing a cruciate ligament in his right knee against Newcastle yesterday. The Spanish playmaker was carried off on a stretcher only three minutes into the goalless draw at St James’ Park.
Scans last night revealed the full seriousness of the injury and the 26-year-old, who has scored seven goals this season, now faces months on the sidelines.
Arteta’s injury is the latest in a long line of fitness problems to affect Everton, and he becomes the second player to be ruled out for the season after Ayegbeni Yakubu ruptured an Achilles tendon at the end of November.
Forward James Vaughan has had surgery on a knee injury this campaign while defender Nuno Valente has been out with a similar problem since August.
Besides those, striker Louis Saha has been plagued by hamstring trouble which has restricted him to 14 matches this season, while midfielder Marouane Fellaini is playing with a cracked bone in his back.
Midfielders Steven Pienaar (hamstring) and Leon Osman (stomach strain) have both missed recent games while forward Victor Anichebe was injured by a horror tackle from Kevin Nolan against Newcastle yesterday.
Incredibly Everton have managed to maintain sixth place in the Premier League in spite of these problems but Moyes’ hopes of catching Arsenal, one place and four points above them, have been dented by the loss of Arteta.
Everton head physio Mick Rathbone said today Arteta will not be rushed back to action.
"We're looking at him being out for about six months. We don't want to hurry Mikel," he said. "He's very down, but he's a mature guy, he's a top sportsman and he knows that one of the hazards of being a top-class sportsman is that you get injured.
"He is somewhat philosophical and is already talking about getting back playing next season.
"So we don't wallow in it, it's football, it happens. We just need to get it operated on and get him back."
The club are still awaiting the results from Victor Anichebe's scan - after the young striker was on the receiving end of a very late and dangerous tackle by Newcastle's Kevin Nolan - but Rathbone is optimistic.
"Victor is extremely sore all up his shin, the outside of his ankle and his knee," he told evertonfc.com. "The shin is badly bruised obviously, it's swollen as well. Our concern is with the knee really.
"We think he's okay - you never know - but I think he's just about got away with it.
"He bent his knee so the strain came on the outside of the knee. It was difficult. There was no obvious significant injury to the shin."
