Tim Howard will be sidelined for as many as six weeks according to reports.
The Everton goalkeeper suffered a calf injury in the 1-0 Boxing Day loss to Stoke City and it has been revealed that he could now be missing in action for between 4-6 weeks.
The injury is a massive blow to Everton who have lost four of their past five Premier League matches and are not likely to have the American veteran back until February.
35-year old Howard, who is currently taking a break from international duty with the USA, has been the Toffees undisputed number one since joining from Manchester united in 2007. He will be replaced by Joel Robles during his absence with teenager Russell Griffiths set to act as Robles' back-up.
