Phil Jagielka will undergo knee surgery on Wednesday in London and could be back in action at the beginning of next season.
The 26 year-old Goodison Park defender has already been ruled out of the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley next month.
Everton physio Mick Rathbone has revealed the state of shock felt by Jagielka and his colleagues after the match on Saturday.
Rathbone said: “We have done this (preparation) as quick as possible. He will undergo surgery on Wednesday morning, and is obviously very upset.
“But he is philosophical, and looking to get the operation out of the way so he can start the recovery process as quick as possible. Thursday morning is day one of the recovery and we can start counting down until when he plays again.
“Until you actually get the surgery done, you’re not on the road to recovery. We are very grateful to the surgeon, Andy Williams, in London who has fitted him in at short notice.
“He is considered one of the finest knee surgeons in Europe and is used by a lot of the top players in the Premier League.”
The injury was a cruel blow for the former Sheffield United player who scored the penalty shoot-out clincher in the Wembley semi-final triumph over Manchester United 10 days ago.
Rathbone said: “This has knocked everybody for six. At the training ground this morning everyone was feeling it.
“For the first 30 minutes after the game Jags was in a state of shock and then just very, very upset after that. What upset him was when he saw how badly the players, coaches, manager and the fans were.
“He is out of the FA Cup final and nobody can get him that back. But he is a tough guy, he will get on with it all and he will hopefully be back as good as new as near as possible to the start of next season.”
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