Darron Gibson and Antolin Alcaraz have both resumed full training, Everton boss Roberto Martinez has revealed.
Gibson had been struggling with a knee injury, while summer signing Alcaraz is yet to feature due to a hamstring strain.
Neither player is likely to be ready for a return against Cardiff City on Saturday, though Martinez hinted Gibson will be assessed before he makes any final decisions on his squad.
The Spaniard also confirmed all his players came through Wednesday’s Capital One Cup victory over Stevenage unscathed, giving him a near-full quota to chose from.
“Darron Gibson and Antolin Alcaraz are joining the group, now it’s just a case of measuring their match fitness and when they’re going to be ready,” Martinez told evertontv on Thursday. “Then you’ve got everyone else at the Club fully fit and ready to help the team.
“Last night we got through with no knocks. It was a really good exercise from that point of view and it’s important when you’ve got so many games in a short period as well as balancing the demands of international football.”
Striker Andreas Cornelius, a £7.5million signing from FC Copenhagen, is likely to miss out for Cardiff after aggravating an old ankle injury during Wednesday’s League Cup win at Accrington Stanley.