Darron Gibson in race to make crucial Euro qualifiers

Everton manager Roberto Martinez confirmed Darron Gibson has undergone a successful procedure on his groin injury but is set to remain on the sidelines for a further two weeks.

The midfielder flew to Munich during the week to undergo the procedure and whilst the Blues boss described it as “successful”, the Republic of Ireland international now remains a serious doubt for his country’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifiers next month.

“The procedure went really well, he had a procedure on his groin and it is something that has been very, very successful,” admitted the Catalan.

“Now we are expecting to be working on him over the next 12 to 14 days to get him back on the pitch and, from that point on, he will be able to join the group. The international break will then be a very good period for him to see where he is.

“I think it is one of those injuries once he is medically fit I don’t think it will be too far away from being match fit so we just hope over the next two weeks he will be ready to re-join the group.”

There was better news for Gibson’s compatriot Aiden McGeady, who returned to full training yesterday, but is unlikely to make his return to the first team squad for Everton’s trip to Southampton tomorrow morning.

McGeady has endured a difficult spell with hamstring and back injuries in recent months but Martinez has praised the winger’s attitude in overcoming these problems before cautiously adding he will need time to rediscover his match sharpness.