The severity of the gash to Phil Jagielka's ankle could mean he misses Everton's next two fixtures as well as England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers according to reports.
The defender was scythed down by Reading's Adam Le Fondre in the Blues' 3-1 win on Saturday and he required surgery to sew the wound back up.
It was initially thought that the 30-year-old would only miss this weekend's FA Cup quarter-final with Wigan but it now appears as though he won't be able to return before the visit of Stoke City to Goodison on 30th March.
That means he will also miss the visits of Manchester City as well as England's games against San Marino and Montenegro.
