Everton boss Roberto Martinez admits there are fitness concerns regarding a quartet of key players.
The Toffees take on West Ham United this weekend and could be without Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Leighton Baines and Darron Gibson who have all been struggling with injuries recently.
Martinez touched on all four players on Tuesday and indicated that he hopes they are not sidelined for too long as they are very integral to his setup at Goodison Park.
"Gareth has got incredible experience and he knows his body really well. When you have to be stretchered off in a football game you know it is something seriously wrong," he said of Barry.
"Gareth is a player who will be quick in his recovery period because of the way he looks after himself. We will have to take it day-by-day for confirmation of how long he will be out but he is recovering very well."
Regarding McCarthy, Martinez said: "James was desperate to be involved with his national team (Republic of Ireland) but he couldn't make it. We will try to get him fit for West Ham but it is a bit too early to tell. He hasn't been able to train with the team and that is a worry on a Tuesday leading up to a Saturday game."
Martinez added further: "When you see Leighton Baines pull out of a training session (with England) you know that something is wrong but at the moment he is responding well to treatment. Again, it is too early to say how long he is going to be out but we remain very positive. Leighton is the type of player that heals very quickly from those sort of injuries.
"Darron Gibson played against Scotland and got a bit of soreness in his knee. He had a year-long lay-off with his ligaments, so we need to be cautious. But I'm very confident he will be available to train very soon."
