Everton have confirmed that Tim Cahill will miss the start of the season as he continues his rehabilitation for a foot injury sustained at the tail-end of last term.

Cahill had surgery in Australia at the end of the season to address a metatarsal injury and the midfielder will apparently fly back to have “a last check” in pre-season. No return date is offered by the club but you can probably rule out the first month of the season at least.

There was better news elsewhere on the injury front at Goodison however as Mikel Arteta is said to have “an outside chance” of making a return to action in a friendly at Cambridge at the weekend. The Spanish playmaker has resumed training after stomach surgery at the end of last season. Baines and Hibbert have also had summer surgery on ankle and knee injuries respectively and, although Baines is reportedly ahead of schedule, Moyes is treating both players with kid gloves as the season nears.

Everton are certainly looking thin on the ground in midfield as the season approaches. The absence of Cahill and the departure of Carsley and Fernandes means that there will be pressure on Arteta to get fit and provide a spark that was sadly missing last season.

Osman, Pienaar and Neville meanwhile, look odds on for midfield roles, particularly in the opening games while Cahill recovers. Interestingly skipper Neville is classed as a defender across many of the fantasy games this season and with Everton’s rather kind opening fixtures, he looks a good bet. While I can’t see Moyes’ men having the creativity to go goal crazy, I can certainly see them keeping things tight at the back over the first 5 games.