Premier League: Everton quartet struggling to face West Ham

Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Leighton Baines and Darron Gibson are all struggling to be fit for Everton's Premier League visit of West Ham on Saturday.

Midfielders Barry (ankle) and McCarthy (hamstring) suffered their injuries in the 1-1 Premier League draw at Sunderland last time out with the latter unable to feature for the Republic of Ireland against Scotland at Celtic Park.

Baines was forced to pull out of England's squad for the European Qualifier against Slovenia and the friendly in Scotland after suffering a similar problem to McCarthy in training while Gibson complained of a sore knee after playing for 70 minutes of Ireland's defeat in Glasgow.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez said:  "Gareth has got incredible experience and he knows his body really well. When you have to be stretchered off in a football game you know it is something seriously wrong. 

“Gareth is a player who will be quick in his recovery period because of the way he looks after himself. We will have to take it day-by-day for confirmation of how long he will be out but he is recovering very well. 

When you see Leighton Baines pull out of a training session you know that something is wrong but at the moment he is responding well to treatment

“James was desperate to be involved with his national team but he couldn’t make it. We will try to get him fit for West Ham but it is a bit too early to tell. He hasn’t been able to train with the team and that is a worry on a Tuesday leading up to a Saturday game.

Positive

“It’s James’ second injury of this nature in the last month and that’s a bit of a worry. We need to give him perfect treatment and make sure he is fully fit.

“When you see Leighton Baines pull out of a training session you know that something is wrong but at the moment he is responding well to treatment. Again, it is too early to say how long he is going to be out but we remain very positive. Leighton is the type of player that heals very quickly from those sort of injuries.

“Darron Gibson played against Scotland and got a bit of soreness in his knee. He had a year-long lay-off with his ligaments, so we need to be cautious. But I’m very confident he will be available to train very soon.”

If Baines is unable to feature against the high-flying Hammers, Tyias Browning or Luke Garbutt come into contention to make their first Premier League start.

Opportunity

Martinez confirmed that Costa Rica's Bryan Oviedo, who last month had a screw removed from the leg he broke in January, is still a little way from returning to full fitness despite a couple of appearances.

“It will be wrong for us to rush Bryan just because Leighton has an injury,” Martinez added. “Tyias Browning or Luke Garbutt, there could be an opportunity for a youngster who has been working hard in that department.

“As is stands we’ll try to give as much time to Leighton to get fully recovered and see if he can be fit for the West Ham game. If not, I wouldn’t be worried about giving the opportunity to one of our youngsters because they have been working really well and they would deserve it.”

Martinez has other injury concerns involving long-term casualties John Stones (ankle), Antolin Alcaraz (shoulder) and Arouna Kone (knee).

However, on a more positive front, Belgium forward Kevin Mirallas, who has not played since tearing a hamstring in the Merseyside derby on September 27, is on the verge of a first-team return.