Thursday 28 April 2016 10:38, UK
Phil Jagielka faces a fight to play again in this season's Premier League, says Everton boss Roberto Martinez.
The centre-half returned from a two-week injury break to start last weekend's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United in the absence of banned partner Ramiro Funes Mori.
But Martinez admits Jagielka, who hopes to be in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad this summer, "had no right to be fit" for Wembley after hamstring trouble and is now a doubt for Everton's final four league games.
"Jagielka is going to be missing for the next few games," he said. "It's too early to say if he'll miss the rest of the season."
Funes Mori is suspended following his red card at Liverpool and, with right-back Seamus Coleman injured, Martinez will field a makeshift defence against Bournemouth on Saturday.
"We'll have a little bit of a weak back four in terms of the bodies missing," he said at the pre-match press conference.
"Maybe we'll have a good opportunity for some young player to come along."
Another young player hoping to feature between now and the end of the season is midfielder Kieran Dowell, whose stunning hat-trick for the club's U21 side this week has taken him to the brink of first-team involvement.
Martinez said: "Kieran Dowell is clearly under consideration. He has been outstanding with his performances. He's had outstanding consistency for the U21s. I feel he is ready to be given an opportunity for the first team."
