Everton midfielder Darron Gibson faces four-week lay-off

Everton midfielder Darron Gibson is likely to be out for a month because of a thigh strain.

The Republic of Ireland international missed Sunday's 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea because of the problem.

Everton manager David Moyes said: "I think he's going to be out for about four weeks."

The 25-year-old spent more than two months on the sidelines earlier in the season, missing 10 league matches, because of a similar problem.

Moyes is already without Kevin Mirallas (hamstring), Tony Hibbert (calf) and Seamus Coleman (unspecified problem), while Phil Neville (knee) was rested against Chelsea after playing two matches in five days following surgery.