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LUKE GARBUTT has already made one Cup appearance for Everton this season – making his Blues debut in the Capital One Cup romp over Leyton Orient.

But he will be denied a Cup double at a Whaddon Road ground he knows inside out by injury.

That hasn’t stopped the promising youngster still trying to influence Everton’s progress, though!

Garbutt enjoyed a successful loan spell with Cheltenham last season, making 36 appearances in which he helped guide The Robins to a League Two Play-Off final at Wembley.

And he learned enough to be able to tip off David Moyes and his staff about any potential threat that Cheltenham, who are mounting another promotion charge this season, may pose.

“I’ve been asked about Cheltenham’s threats and I’ve told the analysis people at Everton about the wide men Kaid Mohamed and Jermaine McGlashan, who are quick and direct,” he explained.

“I have also told them about Marlon Pack, who is the ball player and Russ Penn, who likes to rat around and get in among teams.

“But the gaffer has most teams nailed on anyway and he is very thorough, showing us clips and that sort of thing. He’ll expect Everton to be able to deal with Cheltenham.”

If there is to be any upset – and the ESPN TV cameras will be present on Monday night hoping for the kind of shock Everton endured at Shrewsbury Town in David Moyes’ first full season – Garbutt believes the key will be the opening 20 minutes.

“With Cheltenham at home they need to take the game to Everton early on and press high up the pitch,” he said.

“Everton won’t sit back, but I think it could be a tight one and the result will probably depend on the team we put out.

“If the gaffer brings in a couple of young lads like Ross Barkley and Shane Duffy we should still have too much, but you never know in the FA Cup. It would be great for Cheltenham if they could get a replay, but on the day I think it will be 2-1 or 3-1 to Everton.”

Given a clean bill of health, Garbutt may well have been included in the squad for Monday’s Cup tie.

Leighton Baines was rested when Everton faced non-League Tamworth in last season’s third round (although came off the bench to convert a late penalty) and earlier this season Garbutt was the player called upon to give Baines a break with Everton leading their Capital One Cup tie with Leyton Orient 4-0 down at half-time.

It has been his only taste of senior action to date – but an ankle injury means he won’t get the opportunity to add to that on Monday.

“My rehabilitation is going well, but I am still two weeks away from being back, so I won’t make the game unfortunately,” he added.

“I was really pleased for the Cheltenham lads when the draw was made because they deserve it for doing so well over the past couple of seasons.

“My loan spell there was massive for my development, playing regularly in the Football League with points at stake and it’s definitely helped me to become a better player.”

The 19-year-old left-back’s ultimate aim is to impress David Moyes sufficiently to earn further first team exposure – but such is David Moyes’ burning ambition to progress in the FA Cup that the further the Blues go, the less chance of a key figure like Baines being rested.

“The gaffer likes to go as far as he can in the FA Cup so he’ll definitely put out a strong team,” Garbutt said.