Injury updates from the manager

, 4 December, 18comments  |  Jump to most recent

James McCarthy remains a doubt for Monday night's game against Crystal Palace but Roberto Martinez has not given up hope of the midfielder being fit, despite him sitting out the midweek Capital One Cup victory at Middlesbrough.

McCarthy picked up a hip injury at Bournemouth and will now be assessed over the weekend. In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Roberto Martinez said: "We're not going to find out until Saturday or Sunday if he will be available for the squad or not.

"It's nothing too serious but it was serious enough to keep him out of the [Capital One Cup] quarter-final and for a player like James McCarthy, it shows you there is something."

Regarding Leighton Baines, the manager explained his approach in bringing the Engand International back to full fitness in progressive stages:

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"He had a very good introduction on Tuesday night and now we need to see how he is recovering. He'll need two or three days to get back to normal and then we'll make a decision on that.

"We need to give him little introductions before he can get full fitness for 90 minutes, but with his experience it's a lot easier to get to that point very quickly."

 

Reader Comments (18)

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Karl Graham
1 Posted 05/12/2015 at 06:00:42
What about Hibbert and Oviedo with Browning out injured? We need Hibbert as backup to Coleman and Galloway may be needed at centre-back if anything happens to Stones or Funes Mori.
Patrick Carty
2 Posted 05/12/2015 at 08:23:21
There is no point in playing James McCarthy if he is not fully fit. It’s time for Gibson or Besic to get some game time, with my preference being Gibson.

Leon Osman just does not have the legs for a start anymore.

Ian Bennett
3 Posted 05/12/2015 at 09:25:55
Father Christmas gets in more appearances than Hibbo these days.
Clive Rogers
4 Posted 05/12/2015 at 10:10:17
Hibbo has started 6 games in the last 4 seasons and has basically been injured the rest of the time, as he is now. His body has had enough.
Harold Matthews
5 Posted 05/12/2015 at 10:58:54
Hibbo helps coach the young lads at the back and according to Distin, "There will never be problems with team spirit while Hibbo, Bainsey and Ossie are around".
Michael Williams
6 Posted 05/12/2015 at 13:08:14
I think at almost 35 Hibbo is done. Sad. I hope as Harold (#4) says having Hibbo around helps the team and he at least enjoys get some joy being around the team.

Not many at his age and with his injury profile in the league.

Michael Williams
7 Posted 05/12/2015 at 16:58:59
Hibbo reminds me of the Lord of the Rings when King Theoden is dying on the battlefield and says to his niece Eowyn, "Please let me go, my body is broken."

Hibbo has served EFC honorably. Good luck to him.

Mike Berry
8 Posted 05/12/2015 at 19:19:55
Is Hibbo injured or just frozen out?
Jim Bennings
9 Posted 05/12/2015 at 21:48:57
To be honest, the Tony Hibbert, Steven Pienaar days at Everton are a thing of the past. Fans are kidding themselves if they think these lads are ever going to make a worthwhile contribution to the club again.

I’ve liked both guys over the years, Pienaar was one of my favourite players between 2007-2010 with his return on loan also giving us a massive shot in the arm for a short spell.

Sadly for more than 2 years now he’s offered nothing at all, you may as well say he’s the one player who’s been here for the whole of Martinez’s time so far but has never really had a chance to work with him properly. He hasn't scored a goal since October 2013 I believe!

Tony Hibbert, much like Pienaar, barely worked with Martinez as part of the first-team plans, great tackler, far better defender than Coleman but obviously not as good going forward. You get the feeling, even if he was fit, he would still be behind Browning.

Tony Hibbert... A thing of the past, a real ornament and symbol of the David Moyes era, especially the first 5 years or so. My regret is never getting to see Hibbo score for Everton in a proper match, what a shame!

As for Oviedo, well you get the feeling he’s already achieved his greatest moment in an Everton shirt and, it’s unlikely to get better than it already has.

Brian Porter
11 Posted 06/12/2015 at 06:31:28
My biggest fear regarding players returning from injury revolves around Phil Jagielka, and Roberto’s ’favourites’ philosophy.

I’m sure we all remember when, earlier this season, Roberto put John Stones straight into the team after his injury and Stones clearly wasn’t match-fit and took three games at least to get back to something like normal, during which time we dropped points, and looked totally shaky at the back. Clearly, he needed easing back into the team with maybe a couple of substitute appearances and then an hour at a time for another one or two games to build up that match fitness and co-ordination.

Currently, Stones and Funes Mori are doing well together, coinciding with our best run of form so far this season. Funes Mori is looking more assured with each game he plays and frankly has a better eye for the right ball to play going forward than Jags, who is entrenched in the Martinez ’twenty passes to cross the half-way line’ syndrome.

If Martinez drops Funes Mori the minute Jags is supposedly fit, without easing Jags back gently, it could prove disastrous, the league is so tight that two bad results can see a team dropping a disproportionate number of places in the table, plus to do so would very much negate Martinez’s recent statements about competition for places.

If Stones and Funes Mori are doing a great job at the back, then captain or not, Jagielka has to prove he is in better shape than one or both of them in order to displace either of them from the team. I honestly think Funes Mori is the real deal and the future of Everton at the back and sadly it has to be said, Phil Jagielka is not getting any younger and his legs don’t pack the same stamina or fitness potentials of Funes Mori’s.

It may not be the greatest need for Jags, but his injury nay have given us the chance to see where the future lies for us in the CB positions. Despite all that I can see Martinez ’doing a Robles’ and axing Funes Mori the second Jags is reported as fit, without making him earn his place back. That would not be fair on Funes Mori, (already one Player of the Month award, a Man of the Match award, and his first goal for the team).

I honestly can’t see an Argentine international being happy sitting on the bench at Everton for long with World Cup qualifiers coming up for his country, for whom he has just established himself in the team, to the extent he is keeping players like Demichelis out of the national side.

Roberto needs to think long and hard before tinkering with a new and settled centre back pairing who are helping us climb the league with each passing week.

Jim Bennings
12 Posted 06/12/2015 at 11:16:35
Brian,

I’m not sure I’d stretch as far to say Stones and Funes Mori are doing "a great job" together.

It's been okay but, for me, both guys still lose too many headers – have we forgotten about the Bournemouth game?

Okay, it wasn’t solely down to our two centre-halves but when opponents keep getting free headers inside the penalty area, you are looking for big central defenders to meet more of them than our lads do.

They looked solid against an abject Aston Villa team but Sunderland they were all over the place too.

Max Middleton
13 Posted 06/12/2015 at 11:35:21
Brian and Jim,

I never thought I’d reach the end of your comments, but interesting reading. I think it’s less about who and more about attitude and desire to win every single match.

Someone help me, I regard Cleverley as an honest pro, but what exactly does he bring?? A fit Gibson for me every time, ahead of McCarthy and Barry.

There, I’ve said it!! I would love to see him reach his pinnacle.

Colin Hughes
14 Posted 06/12/2015 at 12:24:15
Funes Mori is unsettled according to quotes in a Sunday paper, implying he can’t wait to get back to River Plate and was unsure if it was the right time to move.
Colin Glassar
15 Posted 06/12/2015 at 12:37:49
Who wrote that Colin? Tim Vickery?
Trevor Peers
16 Posted 06/12/2015 at 13:09:19
That comment about Funes Muni was on the Everton Facebook, which is usually total fantasy.
Jeff Armstrong
17 Posted 06/12/2015 at 13:40:07
I'm not that convinced about Funes Mori anyway; his passing out of defence can be very suspect at times. Concentration also seems to drop at times too. The pass-back against Villa springs to mind. I do think he can defend quite effectively when under pressure, he has a bit of no nonsense Row Z about him.

I think in time he will develop into a decent Premier League defender but I think some people are going a bit OTT on him at the moment.

James Stewart
18 Posted 06/12/2015 at 15:25:57
@16, I totally agree. Stones and Funes Mori didn’t look good to me against Bournemouth and I would have Jagielka straight back in as soon as he recovers.

Funes Mori has done okay but nothing to warrant a lot of the OTT comments on here. He takes far too many risks and positionally out to sea at times. Still has a lot to learn.

Anthony Dwyer
19 Posted 07/12/2015 at 00:21:11
Jeff, James (16-17)

Agreed. I must say, the lad has done well considering he’s not had time to settle as a lot of players need. That said, he has been suspect at times.

Hope his comments have been blown out of proportion as River Plate won’t give us £9m back for him!


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