Everton midfielder James McCarthy is facing up to five weeks on the sidelines after injuring his groin in the Toffees 4-3 loss to Stoke City on Monday.

The 24-year-old left the field after just 26 minutes against Stoke, having aggravated the groin problem, which had already kept him out of action for the majority of December.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez is understood to be ruing the loss of McCarthy with a difficult schedule ahead for the Toffees including Premier League showdowns with Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Swansea and Cup fixtures against City and Dagenham and Redbridge.