Everton FC: Jack Rodwell likely to miss Swansea game

Dec 20 2011 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

Everton FC: Jack Rodwell likely to miss Swansea game

JACK RODWELL is set for another frustrating spell on the sidelines, after tweaking a hamstring injury during the warm up for Saturday’s draw with Norwich City.

Rodwell sustained the injury after he had already been named on David Moyes’ teamsheet and the Blues boss revealed that he couldn’t have called on his services against The Canaries.

“Jack was injured on the bench,” explained Moyes.

“He got injured in the warm up again. He had a hamstring strain, as you know, but I got told just before kick-off that even if I needed Jack he wouldn’t be able to go on because he felt it in the warm up.”

And the problem means that England’s newest full international is unlikely to be available for the visit of Swansea City to Goodison tomorrow.

“If he felt it against Norwich, I would think he wouldn’t be available for Wednesday night,” added Moyes.

After an injury plagued 2010/11, Rodwell started 12 of Everton’s opening 13 games of the season and earned an England call-up.

But after an impressive first cap against Spain and a first start for his country against Sweden, Rodwell suffered a rib injury and has only figured for his club once since then, as a substitute against Stoke.

With matches coming thick and fast over Christmas and the New Year, the Blues won’t risk Rodwell until they are confident he is completely over the hamstring problem.

Moyes, however, revealed that injury wasn’t the reason for young striker Apostolos Vellios not figuring on the substitutes’ bench against Norwich.

“I just decided that Vellios had looked a bit off it in training and young Conor (McAleny) had looked that bit sharper,” he added.