What The Papers Say - 7 November

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PHIL JAGIELKA became the second Everton player this week to be ruled out until the New Year after David Moyes confirmed he has undergone further surgery following a setback in his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.

England centre-back Jagielka had an operation on Wednesday to repair a cartilage tear in his knee after breaking down in his rehabilitation and will be sidelined for a further six weeks.

The grim medical bulletin comes after Everton revealed Mikel Arteta, out since February with a cruciate problem, has also had a minor operation after the knee joint became infected.

To add to Moyes’ problems, he said he is unsure when striker Victor Anichebe, who was injured in the same game at Newcastle as Arteta, will return. Everton have missed the reassuring presence of Jagielka, who has been injured since April, and Moyes said: “He had an operation this week on a tear in his meniscus in his cartilage.

“He had been due to start light, non-contact training so he was down when he heard about it.

“But he is on the road to recovery now. Even if he comes back in six weeks that’s still a pretty good recovery as it is usually seven to seven and a half months that you are out after a cruciate.

“If it is seven months then it is not outrageous. It is just a little setback, and it has happened.

“Anichebe is not in a good way either. He had the pin taken out four weeks ago which had been catching on the side of his knee. Now he has a massive growth of bone where it has calcified.

“He has a massive knee and we are not quite sure how long it will take for him to come back.” Everton, who are also still without Phil Neville, Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman, face a testing trip to West Ham tomorrow having failed to win any of their last seven games in all competitions.

While some pundits have suggested Moyes’ reputation is going to suffer unless he walks away from the club, he is determined to resurrect his side’s fortunes and claims he will not buckle under the responsibility of doing so.

“I’m more interested in Everton’s reputation,” he said. “My aim is to keep Everton a top-six side. That’s what I’m interested in. David Moyes will work again if I have to, in time.

“The job of the manager is to find a winning formula. That is why I want to put my head above the parapet and be the one who says it’s my job to get us winning, no matter who or what I have got. That’s the job.

“It’s not hard to accept the responsibility. I want that responsibility and thrive on it. But I also need the players to want to hang on to my shirt tails and come along with me. And, in the main, the players have done that.

“My reputation was probably built on not having players and having to find certain ways of getting teams winning without many players in the team. We are probably in a situation now where I should try and come to the fore.”

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard fears that the tendency of footballers to bemoan their lot could be contributing to Everton’s run of seven games without a win.

The 2-0 home defeat against Benfica on Thursday night was an improvement on the 5-0 drubbing in Portugal’s Stadium of Light but Everton still struggled to compete as a result of a number of absentees through injury.

Everton must now pick themselves up in time to face West Ham at Upton Park tomorrow. They need a positive result to avoid a long international break clouded further by the prospect of a tough trip to Old Trafford on their return.

Howard said: “We are just concentrating on the fact that if we continue to get our heads down and work and try not to complain too much, it is bound to come back. We know that.

“We have got a thin squad and there is always a stat for everything so I don’t know how much difference it makes playing a game after a European match. We have been affected by injuries so it was always going to be tough to turn things around.” ‘I want responsibility and thrive on it’

PHIL JAGIELKA has dealt Everton a second major injury setback this week – as David Moyes admitted he does not envisage splashing the cash during the January transfer window.

Jagielka is expected to be sidelined until the New Year after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in his cartilage on Wednesday.

The centre-back has been absent since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the home defeat to Manchester City in April.

The 27-year-old was expected to begin light training this week, but has instead gone under knife again to fix the latest problem.

Everton were already reeling from the news Mikel Arteta will also be unavailable until next year after suffering further complications following his own cruciate surgery.

And disappointed Goodison manager Moyes said: "Jagielka had an operation this week on a tear in his meniscus in his cartilage. He had it done on Wednesday afternoon.

"We think he will be out for probably four to six weeks. He was due to start light non-contact training this week.

"It was just part of his rehabilitation. When you get your cruciate done, it nearly always damages your cartilage. What they do now, they don’t take your cartilage out, they save it. It tends to be there can be a wee tear in it, so they stitch it together to save it.

"But sometimes the other side of the cartilage is affected, and the other side has a nick in it. So they have sutured it back together.

"Most people who now get their cruciates done, it does sort of rip the cartilage. Joe Cole had the same thing, and that’s what has happened with Jags.

"He was down when he heard about it, but he is on the road to recovery now."

With Everton still rocked by an injury crisis, the setbacks for both Jagielka and Arteta could not have come at a worse time for Moyes.

However, the manager is confident Jagielka remains on course for a reasonable return date.

"Even if Jags comes back in six weeks that’s still a pretty good recovery as it’s seven to seven-and-a-half months after a cruciate," said Moyes, whose team travel to West Ham United tomorrow. "At the moment he’s six months, which is a bit sharpish to return.

"The boy at Zenit St Petersburg called Dani was back in under six months after a cruciate, but most doctors say it’s six months absolute minimum. If Jags is seven months then it’s not outrageous. It’s just a little setback, and it’s happened."

There was also a gloomy medical bulletin on Victor Anichebe, who like Arteta has not played since suffering knee ligament damage in the goalless draw at Newcastle United in February.

"Anichebe is not in a good way," said Moyes. "He had the pin taken out four weeks ago which had been catching on the side of his knee.

"Now he has a big growth of bone where it has calcified, he has a massive knee and we’re not quite sure how long it will take for him to come back."

Despite the squad being stretched to breaking point by injury and ineligibility, Moyes has revealed it is unlikely there will be any new arrivals during the January transfer window.

But the Scot believes a triumvirate of first-team regulars will be available to boost his options following the forthcoming international break.

"I don’t know if we’ll be in a position to do any business in January," said Moyes. "But it might be a different scenario then, much will depend on which players come back.

"After the international break we hope to have Phil Neville, Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman back and that would make a big difference for us.

"I’m trying to keep away from us focusing on the injured players, we are focusing on the fit players. That’s why it’s my job to get a winning formula.

"The players have to understand that they can’t be looking over their shoulders for backup at the moment. The players whether they are young or old, they will be judged on what they do."

Phil Jagielka has been ruled out for a further six weeks after undergoing an operation to restore damaged cartilage in his knee, a further blow for David Moyes as he tries to stop an injury crisis derailing his side's season.

The England international had been due to resume light training as he recovers from a ruptured cruciate ligament, but is now not likely to feature until mid-January at the earliest.

He sustained the injury in April against Manchester City and had been expected to return before Christmas. Moyes, though, confirmed on Friday that he had suffered a setback in his recuperation and had gone into surgery on Wednesday.

The Everton manager said: "He had an operation this week on a tear in his meniscus in his cartilage. It was just part of his rehabilitation. When you tear your cruciate, it nearly always damages your cartilage, and because of arthritis they now tend to save it, rather than removing it. Phil had a nick in one side of his cartilage, so they have sutured it back together. He will be back in four to six weeks."

Moyes, who is also likely to be without Mikel Arteta and Victor Anichebe with knee injuries well into the New Year, confirmed Jagielka was "a bit low" but insisted that he was "well on the road to recovery" and had no reason to fear he will not return to action in time to make Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.