Everton may be without midfield maestro Mikel Arteta when the new season kicks-off as the Spaniard has returned from the Toffees’ pre-season tour of the US with an ankle injury, The Sun has revealed.
The former Rangers star is suffering with sever bruising to his ankle which will rule him out of the Merseyside’s remaining preseason friendlies against Birmingham City, Werder Bremen and Villarreal.
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Arteta has been plagued by injuries for the past few years and his latest knock comes as a massive disappointment to manager David Moyes who will not be able to buy a replacement for the key player as he has no money to do so.
The 29-year-old, who has been at Everton since 2005, will not be matchfit in time for the opening game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur on August 13.
