Joseph Yobo To Miss Everton's Trip To Portsmouth

Everton defender Joesph Yobo will not be fit enough to join his team-mates when they travel to Fratton Park on Saturday to face Portsmouth in the Premier League.

The Nigerian could be out for as much as a month with a hamstring strain, and now faces a real race to be fit for the Toffees' FA Cup semi-final next month against Manchester United at Wembley.

"Joseph has picked up a hamstring strain," manager David Moyes informed Everton's official website.

"We don't know if he has got it from a back problem or the little bit of training he's had this week. It looks like we are going to miss him for a few weeks."

There was better news on the injury front for Everton fans though, as all-action attacker Tim Cahill, such a talismanic presence at Goodison Park this season, has trained this week and is expected to be fit enough for the game against the south coast strugglers.

Right-back Tony Hibbert is still struggling with thigh strain, which may present an opportunity for the almost forgotten summer signing from Denmark, Lars Jacobsen to make a return to a side in which he has barely featured in this campaign.

James Vaughan and Nuno Valente's knee injuries are healing well though, and both may have a role in the side before the end of the season, according to Moyes, who concluded, "We hope we could get Vaughan back for the last month of the season, it would be another body for us. Anybody coming back at this present time would be pleasing and Nuno Valente isn't too far away.

"Tony Hibbert is maybe two or three weeks away so with a bit of luck we will have some players back soon." 

Zack Wilson, Goal.com