Everton midfielder James McCarthy is set to be sidelined again with a hamstring injury.
Ronald Koeman has admitted to the Liverpool Echo that he is worried about Everton’s James McCarthy.
McCarthy picked up a hamstring problem during Everton’s match against Liverpool on Monday, which will keep him out for at least the next fortnight.
The Republic of Ireland international has struggled for fitness all campaign, and Koeman admits that is starting to worry about McCarthy’s inability to stay off the treatment table.
“Of course that’s bad news because the boy was doing well,” he said.
“I am a little bit worried about a lot of these kind of injuries.
“He was overloaded when he came back from Ireland but I was really confident that James was on a good level of fitness and he showed that against Arsenal.
“There was no reason not to start him against Liverpool, so of course I’m worried about his fitness and his several muscle problems. But we need to wait.”
McCarthy has suffered with a series of niggling injuries throughout the campaign, and initially he was kept in reserve by Koeman.
However, the central midfielder was starting to prove his worth – with his performances against Liverpool and Arsenal catching the eye in recent weeks.
McCarthy’s absence, therefore, is a blow for Everton as they look to break out of their slump in form.
The Toffees have slipped down to ninth place in the Premier League table, after winning just two of their last 12 matches.
Everton are next in action on Boxing Day, when they take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
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