• Cahill almost certain to miss Manchester United fixture
• Midfielder in danger of missing vital Europa League return leg
Everton could be without Tim Cahill for a pivotal week in their season after the Australia midfielder damaged a calf muscle during the 2-1 Europa League win over Sporting at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
David Moyes, the Everton manager, is expected to discover the full extent of Cahill’s injury today but the 30-year-old is almost certainly out of tomorrow’s home Premier League match with Manchester United and there are concerns that he will also miss the return leg against Sporting in Lisbon on Thursday.
Everton then complete a demanding month of fixtures with a game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday week, when the player may again be absent.
Cahill had been in fine form and he was involved in both Everton goals against the Portuguese side on Tuesday before pulling up on the hour. His loss would be particularly felt against Sporting, in a match in which Everton must defend a precarious first-leg advantage in a competition that offers them their last hope of silverware this season.
Moyes will be without both of his first choice centre-halves, Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga, in Portugal due to suspension and ineligibility respectively. The French defender is banned as a result of the professional foul that led to Sporting’s 87th-minute penalty which earned them their precious away goal. Everton’s recent loan signing Philippe Senderos, who missed the first leg with a back problem, is expected to be fit for the second meeting in Lisbon.
EvertonPremier LeagueUefa Europa LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk
