LIVERPOOL -- Everton captain Phil Jagielka is set to be out of action until Christmas after a scan confirmed he suffered medial knee ligament damage against Arsenal.
Jagielka left the Emirates Stadium on crutches after being injured in a challenge by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during Saturday's 2-1 Premier League defeat.
Manager Roberto Martinez suggested that the England centre-back is likely to be out for no longer than eight or nine weeks.
But Martinez said that it could have been a lot worse, initially fearing that the 33-year-old's season could have been ended by a cruciate knee ligament injury.
The Everton boss said: "After the game, we expected the worst especially with the way the injury happened, and the way the knee rotated. It could have been anything.
"We had the scan. It's the medial ligament that's affected. It's quite a straightforward injury. But there is no other damage in the knee. The other structures, the meniscus, the cartilage and the cruciate, are very, very strong.
"There's the smallest amount of damage that there could be. We're looking forward to getting Phil back into rehab and seeing how quickly we can get him back."
Jagielka will definitely miss Tuesday's Capital One Cup fourth-round home tie against fellow Premier League side Norwich, and is not expected to play again before late December.
Asked how long his captain would be out for, Martinez said: "It's hard to tell, because with the medial ligament, it depends on the area of the damage and how quickly you can recover it.
"We're going to make sure he takes the right course of treatment. I don't expect anything longer than eight to nine weeks.
"It depends a little bit on how we progress over the next few weeks. We have an international break in the middle, which is a good period as well, so we hope he's not going to miss much of the action."
Argentina international Ramiro Funes Mori, signed from River Plate in September, is set to get a run in the team alongside John Stones in central defence as Jagielka recovers.
Martinez added: "Funes Mori has had a good period settling in. He's been so impressive in the role he had to take. He's someone with a brave attitude and very commanding."