• Midfielder has just one year left of contract with Everton
• ‘He would get into the Arsenal team,’ says manager

Arsène Wenger has expressed his admiration for Steven Pienaar and claimed the Everton midfielder would get into his Arsenal side.

Pienaar, who is currently with the South Africa World Cup squad, has just one year remaining on his contract at Goodison Park and while talks on an extension have been ongoing, it seems a deal is unlikely to be agreed during the finals.

That leaves open the possibility of clubs, such as Arsenal, making a move for the 28-year-old before he secures his future with Everton. “Pienaar has grown this year,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “He was usually a very busy player where the final ball was missing a little bit, but this year he has gained in personality and he has kept his work rate, so he has been much more efficient.

“What also played a big role in his growth was that Mikel Arteta was not there for a while and that he had to take the responsibility of being the playmaker of the team.

“He was one of the best players in England this year. He would get into the Arsenal team. I always had an eye on him since he was at Ajax.”

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• Ankle injury still troubling influential midfielder
• Arteta likely to start instead

Everton have been dealt a blow ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Chelsea after influential midfielder Marouane Fellaini was ruled out of the match with an ankle injury picked up in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

Fellaini had to leave the 1-0 loss to Liverpool after just 35 minutes following a tackle from Sotirios Kyrgiakos for which the Greek defender received a red card.

An immediate scan suggested that no serious had been done to Fellaini’s joint but it remained heavily swollen and as such, Everton planned to send the player to see a specialist in London today. Due to logistical difficulties, however, that has not happened.

“We sent him to see the specialist this morning but the trains were cancelled so we will have to try again on Thursday,” said the Everton manager, David Moyes. “He’s had further scans but until the swelling goes down it is difficult to properly assess the injury.”

In Fellaini’s absence, Mikel Arteta, who came on for the Belgian at Anfield, is likely to start against the Premier League leaders.

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