Everton have confirmed that midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson will be on the sidelines for six to eight weeks with a knee injury.
The Iceland international, who signed for the club from Swansea City last summer, will be absent for the majority of the Toffees' Premier League run-in.
Sigurdsson suffered the injury blow during Everton's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend - a result that took the club back to ninth in the Premier League table.
Manager Sam Allardyce told the club's official website: "We'll continue to assess Gylfi's progress on a week-to-week basis and the medical team will work very closely with him, as they would with any injured player, to get him back playing as quickly as possible."
Sigurdsson has scored five goals and created as many assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.