Everton manager Roberto Martinez has revealed that midfielder Darron Gibson has not recovered from a knee injury in time to feature in this weekend's Premier League clash against Chelsea.
The 25-year-old has been out of action since suffering the problem during a pre-season friendly against Real Betis, but the midfielder has returned to training.
Antolin Alcaraz is also still on the sidelines as he continues to recover from a hernia operation.
"Darron and Antolin are in training with the first team," Martinez said in a press conference. "Now it is a case of getting the match fitness. That could take a couple of weeks, depending on how they react.
"Darron and Antolin won't be fit for the weekend but they are not going to be too far away. For Darron, in a couple of weeks, he'll be getting really close."
Meanwhile, new signings James McCarthy and Gareth Barry could feature for the Toffees this weekend, but Romelu Lukaku is ineligible to play against his parent club Chelsea.
Danielle Joynson
