James McCarthy is likely to miss Ireland’s entire Uefa Nations League campaign after suffering a double leg break during Everton’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Sam Allardyce said the 27-year-old “paid a heavy price” for his tackle on Salomón Rondón, who accidentally made contact with McCarthy’s right leg instead of the ball.
“It’s a tib and fib [tibia and fibula] fracture, and compounded as well. It’s a nasty one,” the Everton manager said. “He was getting sharper and sharper and fitter and fitter with every game.
“I don’t know [if he will be operated on tonight], but we’ll do it as quickly as we possibly can. I think it very much depends on the specialist or surgeon that deals with it.”
McCarthy faces a lengthy recovery period having only returned from a number of hamstring issues at the turn of the year. “He’s missed so many games and we’d actually thought we’d overcome the little problems he’d been having, and he’s been playing regularly,” Allardyce said.
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“Now this is one serious injury that we know will keep him out until next season at some stage and it’s a big blow.”
It is also cruel news for Martin O’Neill, the Ireland manager, who will travel to Switzerland on Wednesday for the draw for the Nations League, the new tournament which gets underway in September. Ireland will play at least four games with the group stage concluding towards the end of November.
McCarthy is likely to miss all those matches but will hope to be back in contention for club and country by the start of the Euro 2020 qualifiers in March 2019. His injury is similar to that endured by team-mate Seamus Coleman playing for Ireland against Wales last March. Coleman is set to make his comeback for Everton’s under-23s against Portsmouth tomorrow.