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Everton’s Luke Garbutt has suffered a blow ahead of the new season as the left-back revealed he will be out for six weeks with an ankle ligament injury.

The 22-year-old has joined Championship club Fulham on a season-long loan and said he was ‘gutted’ by tweeting: “The latest on my injury is disappointing I’m out for six weeks, I will do everything to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.”

Garbutt, who limped out of the Cottagers' pre-season friendly on Saturday, was linked with a move away from the Blues this summer as he let his previous contract run down but after playing with England in the European Under-21 Championship finals he penned a new five-year deal.

At the time, Fulham boss Kit Symons hoped that Garbutt's withdrawal was just a precautionary measure.

He said: “Garbs tweaked his ankle a little bit so we are not sure how bad that is but he did a similar thing at Everton the day before he came into us."

Signed from Leeds United aged 16, the Yorkshireman played 10 games for Everton last season and is tipped to be the long-term successor to England international Leighton Baines with the Blues with Roberto Martinez declaring that he would return ready to make a major impact at Goodison after his year in west London.