Bešić to Miss Season Opener

Everton manager Roberto Martinez confirmed that midfielder Mohamed Besic will miss the first match of the Premier League season. Besic has been out of commission with a hamstring injury that he picked up in the first preseason friendly against Swindon Town on July 11^th.

Martinez said that he expects Besic to miss the opener but to be back shortly after:

Mo picked up the injury against Swindon in the first game and is recovering really, really well. He is a player with a lot of power and a player who I expect to be fit just after the start of the campaign. I think he will miss the opening game but after that he will be close to a return.

Besic isn't the only player on the Everton squad battling a hamstring injury. Aiden McGeady picked up the knock when he last played for Ireland. The 29-year old winger could miss another two-to-three weeks of action while recovering. Martinez noted that he has made progress in the past week and that he's responding well to treatment.

Status updates for Darron Gibson and Tony Hibbert were also provided. Gibson, 27 is still recovering from a broken foot that he sustained at the end of the last campaign. Martinez said that he is on track to be back in the squad at the end of August. Hibbert is still working through a knee injury picked up in the loss to Arsenal in the Barclays Asia Trophy final earlier in the month.

No update was given on Steven Pienaar who also has a hamstring injury.

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