CAHILL FACING TWO MONTH BATTLE
evertonfc.com
Everton midfielder Tim Cahill is facing between six and eight weeks on the sidelines with a medial knee ligament injury.
The Aussie international had to be stretchered off during Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa following an accidental collision with teammate Lee Carsley.
Following a series of scans, the Club's medical team have confirmed Cahill did not damage his anterior ligament but that damage to his medial ligament is set to keep him sidelined for up to two months.
The midfielder could also require an exploratory operation to check on the cartilage in his right knee.
Everton head physio Mick Rathbone told evertonTV: "We had the scans yesterday (Monday) and it confirms what we see clinically, which is that he has significant damage to his medial ligament. The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) seems OK which was our fear.
"We would estimate it would be an absolute minimum of six weeks but probably going on for eight weeks for the medial ligament.
"We think and hope the cartilage is okay. What we will do is let it settle down for a few days then reassess.
"The surgeon may decide to have a quick look inside the knee to have a look at the cartilage but we are not really sure about that.
"I suppose everybody knew it was a serious injury; it was clear having looked at the video tape. As it ended up it was a good end to what it could have been."
The relief for Everton was that the player has sustained no significant damage to his cruciate - an injury that would have left him facing a battle to be back before the end of the season.
He added: "But you can damage a cruciate with very little force and I have seen a couple that have had very little swelling and very little trauma so you never really want to give the all clear until you see the scan.
"If the surgeon decides to have a look in the knee it wouldn't affect the timescale. But if you look inside the knee and there's a further problem then that can extend it.
"He has been relatively injury free over his career and you have to look at the bigger picture.
"He is a quick healer and if you look back at his medical history you can see he has a record of coming back from injury quickly."
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