Source: Telegraph
Everton face crisis as Mikel Arteta is ruled out for season
The Spanish midfielder was carried off after just three minutes of the goalless draw with Newcastle on Sunday and will undergo surgery in Barcelona next week to correct the problem. [LNB]Together with Victor Anichebe, the victim of a horrific two-footed lunge from Kevin Nolan, Arteta is the latest in a string of injuries to key players in a small squad which threatens to jeopardise all of David Moyes's good work in turning Everton into one of the Premier League's form teams. [LNB]Both Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman have not featured in recent weeks, Marouane Fellaini is playing with a cracked bone in his back, while Yakubu has been ruled out for the season with a ruptured Achilles. [LNB]Knee injuries have sidelined James Vaughan and Nuno Valente, while Louis Saha's fitness troubles have limited him to just 14 games this season. [LNB]Arteta has been outstanding this season and losing him will put a huge dent in Moyes's hopes of securing at least a Uefa Cup spot and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The club's physiotherapist, Mick Rathbone confirmed the Spaniard would not return until the start of next season. [LNB]He said: "We don't want to hurry Mikel, we don't hurry any player back. He's very down, but he's a mature guy and he knows that one of the hazards of being a top-class sportsman is that you get injured. [LNB]"He is somewhat philosophical and is already talking about getting back playing next season. We knew straightaway what he had done and he's going to have surgery in Barcelona next week. We use three surgeons – the best in Britain, the best in Europe and the best in America – but it suits Mikel to use the Spanish guy."[LNB]Arteta's team-mate Phil Jagielka said: "We're all massively gutted and the boys will wish him a speedy recovery. Mikel's been fantastic over the last few months and he's been behind most of the good things we've done."[LNB]Moyes will be relieved not to have lost Anichebe for the remainder of the campaign, too. The Nigeria international yesterday had a scan to discover the extent of the damage done by Nolan's red-card challenge, initially thought to have broken his leg. [LNB]Anichebe said: "I've never felt as much pain in my life. It was a terrible tackle but I don't think [Nolan] really meant it. He came and said sorry. Now it's not too bad, but I'm feeling a bit of pain in my knee and the back of my calf and shin. [LNB]"When it happened I thought: 'That's me, that's my time.' But luckily I've got strong legs and if that was anyone else, their leg would have snapped in two. I suppose I'm lucky to come out not as bad as I first thought." [LNB]
