Everton could be without their £27million summer signing until at least next December as injury turns out to be worse than first feared, according to the Mirror.

It is thought that the club have fears he could be ruled out until at least 2018 which would mean he would miss the majority of the 2017/18 season in which could be a huge blow for both player and the club.

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Bolasie hobbled off in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday and at first it appeared to not be too bad of an injury despite his clear pain. The winger attempted to play through the pain but it was too unbearable, and rightly so after scans revealed Yannick would require surgery on his knee.

Ronald Koeman must now dive into the January transfer market not only for a short term fix, but also a long term signing that would be able to replace the DR Congo international.

And even after his return, there are no guarantees that Bolasie will be able to reach anywhere near the level of performances that convinced Koeman and Steve Walsh to fork out £27million.