Everton given further boost following pre-season win at Dundee

Everton manager Roberto Martinez insists that Romelu Lukaku was substituted as a precaution against Dundee on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old hobbled off clutching his hamstring during the first half of the 2-0 friendly win at Dens Park, raising fears he could miss the start of the season which is less than two weeks away.

The sight of an Everton player feeling his hamstring is a familiar one in recent months, with three first-teamers currently sidelined with an injury to that part of the body and a number suffering from hamstring complaints during last season.

Is is more than a coincidence? I'm not sure, but the evidence stacks up with each passing injury.

Thankfully on this occasion it appears Lukaku - a player we are heavily reliant on - is not too badly injured.

Speaking after Tuesday's win, Martinez said:

"Rom has obviously been playing a lot of minutes and it was important for him to get some sort of action.

"After the first 25 minutes, he was feeling his legs were a little bit too heavy and we didn’t want to take any risks.

"It’s not a problem at all. I think he got a lot of good work between the two games we’ve had up here, plus the games we had in Singapore.

"Now we have got a little period before the weekend to make sure he is ready and refreshed."