Seasons » 2015-16 » Everton News
McCarthy back on the sidelines with groin problem

Spurs game too soon for Jagielka
James McCarthy has been ruled out of this weekend's match against Tottenham Hotspur after being withdrawn from the game against Stoke through injury.Roberto Martinez confirmed at his pre-match press conference this morning that the Irish midfielder suffered a recurrence of the groin injury that he suffered against Bournemouth and kept him out for most of December.
McCarthy was named in the starting XI for the first time since the last match of November at Vitality Stadium but he lasted just 26 minutes of Monday's defeat and had to be replaced by Tom Cleverley.
Cleverley had to be taken off himself in the second half with an Achilles injury and Martinez indicated that the club's medical staff will find out the results of scans on that problem today.
The manager also cast doubt on Phil Jagielka's involvement in Sunday's clash with third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, saying that the game will likely come too soon for the defender who is back in training.
The club captain has been sidelined since October with a knee injury and Martinez says he stands a good chance of returning for the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City on 6th January.
Reader Comments (21)
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2 Posted 30/12/2015 at 17:12:00
3 Posted 30/12/2015 at 17:17:00
Luckily we have reasonable options in midfield with Besic, Gibson, Naismith and Osman to plug gaps but some positions have poor cover and this should be addressed during January.
Goalkeeper, Right Back and Striker are positions with virtually no cover. God Help us if big Rom gets injured as he has been absolutely immense of late. If we are to hang on to players like Stones, Barkley and Lukaku we will need to show positive intent during January's window.We were supposedly after Shaquiri but missed the boat and now we are being tapped up for an unsettled Naismith. We must buy before letting anyone leave otherwise we are sending the wrong message to our best and youngest stars.
4 Posted 30/12/2015 at 17:43:17
7 Posted 30/12/2015 at 19:36:16
Shame about Macca and Jags both unavailable. We certainly need to start realising the massive potential this squad has. Its the leaking of too many goals that has been our issue - going forward has been refreshingly exciting.
9 Posted 30/12/2015 at 21:21:29
10 Posted 30/12/2015 at 23:54:34
Really dreading Sunday's game now that there's more bad news on our injury front. Jags was supposed to be good for mid December according to Martinez but we all know what a load of garbage he spouts on injuries and Spurs will probably licking their Kane-inspired lips for this one.
11 Posted 31/12/2015 at 00:25:27
The players who need to be rested are those who do not to put in effort for 90 minutes i.e. Kone, GD & Ross the team needs to defend as a team GD goes missing & Barkley hides when the opposition have the ball never get close enough to an opponent to prevent them receiving a pass.
13 Posted 31/12/2015 at 09:25:38
I wouldn't mind betting that he has already had more shots at goal than McCarthy and just gives us another dimension going forward!
14 Posted 31/12/2015 at 11:25:16
A soundbite from RM as reported on the Beeb. This makes it sound as though players have to compete to get their starting place back!
Is RM turning over a new leaf?
17 Posted 31/12/2015 at 12:50:28
19 Posted 31/12/2015 at 14:26:56
20 Posted 31/12/2015 at 14:59:54
Martinez turning over a new leaf? ... it would be nice to think so but the reality is that his arrogance (or plain ignorance) dictates that he is correct in what he does and that there is no need for change / new leaf or such. He's lost and so are we each day that he remains in our employ.
21 Posted 31/12/2015 at 17:32:11
22 Posted 31/12/2015 at 17:42:56
23 Posted 31/12/2015 at 18:05:25
Seconded!
24 Posted 31/12/2015 at 18:16:26
Get back injury free soon James.
25 Posted 31/12/2015 at 23:25:59
26 Posted 01/01/2016 at 07:04:11
Now we hear that McCarthy is out for a while. Not good news at all. We don't want Cleverley there. I watched him closely the other day and though he provided a great assist for Lukaku, he's not a natural ball winner. Much more suitable would be Besic who has been coached for the role but his slow motion cameo against Newcastle doesn't inspire confidence. Martinez is trying to bring him up to speed in slow steps after his hamstring trouble but these latest injuries have landed him on the horns of a dilemma.
We'll be up against a big strong outfit who take no prisoners but our defence, especially Stones, will prefer them to Bojan and his quick clever mates and another good contest is expected.
27 Posted 01/01/2016 at 11:35:48
28 Posted 01/01/2016 at 11:50:46
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1 Posted 30/12/2015 at 17:10:24