Roberto Martinez rubbishes rumours James McCarthy will miss Merseyside derby

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has rejected reports that James McCarthy will miss Saturday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool because of an injury setback.

This week, it emerged that the midfielder had reportedly suffered a recurrence of a hamstring problem and would spend a fortnight on the sidelines.

However, in this morning's press conference, Martinez revealed that the 24-year-old will be in the squad for this weekend's showdown at Goodison Park.

"McCarthy has not suffered a setback," the Spaniard told reporters. "He was in hospital having a scan to see if he has fully healed. I expect him to be in the squad. We expect him to be fully fit now for the rest of the season."

The Republic of Ireland international has been hampered by hamstring injury woes since November.