Everton have confirmed that Mikel Arteta will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his cruciate knee ligament.
Arteta was injured during the opening minutes of Everton’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday.
A club statement read: “He underwent a succession of scans on his knee on Sunday night to ascertain the full extent of the injury, with the results revealing he has no chance of pulling on an Everton jersey again this term.”
The news is a huge blow to Everton, who are currently in sixth, 10 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. They are also still in the FA Cup, where they will face West Ham or Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals.
