An ankle injury suffered by Romelu Lukaku does not appear to be as serious as first thought, although the striker must wait on the results of a second scan.
The Belgium international, who is on loan at Everton from Chelsea, was stretchered off during Tuesday’s Merseyside derby against Liverpool.
It was described as a “bad injury” by Everton boss Roberto Martinez, who added “it doesn’t look good”.
But initial tests suggest the damage may not be quite so serious, easing fears that Lukaku, 20, could miss this summer’s World Cup.
There are now signs that he may only be sidelined for around a month, but his condition is still being assessed.
Lukaku has scored nine goals for Everton since his move to Goodison Park in August.
He was hurt in an accidental collision with team-mate Gareth Barry.
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This post was last modified on 29/01/2014