Heskey to miss Merseyside derby

Emile Heskey will miss Saturday’s Merseyside derby with Everton after being ruled out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury.

The England striker came off at half-time in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth round victory over Newcastle on Saturday and as well as being a doubt for Premiership matches against Bolton and Manchester City he could also miss the friendly international in Portugal on February 18.

“Emile suffered a slight pull to his hamstring and will miss the derby,” said Houllier.

“I think he will be out for two to three weeks at least. We’ll just have to see how he responds to treatment.”

Heskey’s injury is a blow to Houllier as his options up front are limited as Michael Owen is still finding his way back to fitness after a six weeks out while Milan Baros, out since August with a broken leg, only makes his comeback bid in the reserves this week.

Young Frenchman Florent Sinama-Pongolle has a groin injury, Vladimir Smicer is struggling with an Achilles problem while El-Hadji Diouf is on international duty at the African Nations Cup with Senegal.