Everton have been dealt a blow after Nathan Patterson was stretchered off the pitch while representing Scotland on Wednesday night.
From a defensive standpoint, the Toffees have improved considerably this season, conceding just six goals in seven Premier League matches.
Patterson has played a big role in those performances, the 20-year-old currently one of three ever-presents in Frank Lampard's squad.
However, that streak of appearances has almost certainly come to an end with the right wing-back being stretchered off against Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League.
Patterson pointed to the inside of his knee when being assessed by the medical staff and was promptly replaced by Aaron Hickey in the 26th minute.
The former Rangers man was visibly frustrated as he was carried around to the other side of the pitch before going down the tunnel.
Everton have a run of eight fixtures from October 1 through to November 12, and Patterson will seemingly be in a race against time to feature in any of those games.
While the severity of the injury has not been confirmed, Patterson will miss Scotland's games with Republic of Ireland and Ukraine over the next week. body check tags ::
