LEIGHTON BAINES was today visiting a specialist to discover the extent of an ankle problem he has suffered since October.
The Blues, however, are bracing themselves for bad news and it is looking increasingly likely that surgery will be the only option to cure the injury, meaning Baines could be out for anything up to between six and eight weeks.
If the worst comes to the worst, it would be a huge blow for the 23-year-old, who became the most expensive defender in Everton’s history when he moved from Wigan Athletic last summer in a £5m deal, as he could potentially miss the Carling Cup final.
A groin problem forced him to miss the start of the season, while he had another three-week spell on the sidelines in the run-up to Christmas after tearing his hamstring in the 3-0 win over Fulham on December 8.
Sandwiched in between that, though, was the blow to the ankle he took in a challenge with Derby County’s journeyman defender Darren Moore on October 28 which has caused so many headaches for Baines.
He has been restricted to just 12 starts for Everton and that has left him bitterly frustrated as, during his time at the JJB Stadium, he had an exemplary fitness record and only missed three of Wigan’s 40 games last season.
“I have never really had an injury like that,” he said recently. “I’ve only ever really missed the odd game over the last two years, so it was frustrating to pick it up when I did.
“We had just started winning games and getting into form.”
Meanwhile, Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman have finally put pen-to-paper on deals that will keep them at Goodison Park until the end of the 2011/2012 campaign, following the lead set by Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe.
As first reported in the ECHO on November 22 last year, the Blues were keen to reward two players who graduated from the club’s Academy to become important members of Moyes’ squad.
“We started talking a couple of months ago but there was never any doubt I was going to commit my long-term future to the club. It’s where I want to play my football,” said Osman, who returned from a five-week injury lay-off in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Wigan.
Hibbert was equally pleased to agree terms and his form has shown a dramatic improvement in recent weeks, much to the delight of his manager, who said today: “Hibbo has done well for us.
“He has played well recently. We are quite well blessed with full-backs and there will be some games that suit Phil Neville more in that position than Hibbo.
“But he is going to continue be an important member of the squad.”
