Phil Jagielka could be sidelined until after Christmas with medial knee ligament damage sustained at Arsenal, Roberto Martínez has said.

The Everton captain will be absent for “eight or nine weeks” according to his manager and will therefore miss England’s high-profile friendlies against Spain and France next month. There were fears the 33-year-old had suffered the second cruciate knee ligament injury of his Everton career on Saturday and, although scans have allayed those concerns, the influential defender faces an extended spell on the sidelines.

“We expected the worst after the game, especially in the way the injury happened,” said Martínez. “The medial ligament is affected but it is quite a straightforward injury and there is no other damage in the knee. The structure of the knee and the cruciate is as strong as it could be.

“It is hard to tell [how long Jagielka will be out] because it is the medial ligament. We are going to make sure we take the right course of treatment. I wouldn’t expect anything longer than eight to nine weeks out.”

Jagielka has been outstanding for Everton this season, helping several young players settle into a defence disrupted by injury, and was named England captain for the recent European Championship qualifier against Lithuania.

The Everton manager added: “He will be a huge miss. You rely on certain leaders to allow young players to come in and perform. He will miss missed for that. You don’t want to lose your captain but you have to cope with that and we have other senior players.”

Martínez also confirmed Joel Robles would start in goal against Norwich City in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. The regular first choice, Tim Howard, came in for heavy criticism following a poor display at the Emirates Stadium.

(Guardian service)