Everton manager Ronald Koeman has again made reference to James McCarthy's international exertions as he spoke about his injured midfielder ahead of the busy festive calendar in England.
The Toffees will be without McCarthy for up to three weeks after the Ireland midfielder picked up another hamstring strain in Monday night's Merseyside derby.
And while Koeman was not necessarily blaming the Ireland double-header in October, where McCarthy played against Georgia and Moldova in the space of four days, for the player's current plight, the Everton boss made a point of mentioning it at today's press conference.
"James McCarthy is out with a slight hamstring (injury) and that's bad news because he was doing well," said Koeman.
"He was overloaded when he came back from Ireland. But I think I was really confident with James that he was on a good level of fitness and he showed that against Arsenal.
"And there was no reason not to start with James against Liverpool."
But the Everton manager did admit that he was worried about McCarthy's string of muscle injuries and he now must play the waiting game with the Ireland midfielder.
"Of course I'm worried about his fitness and his several muscle problems. But we need to wait," added Koeman.
"We will see after two to three weeks how he is coming back and then we need to make decisions about fixtures and schedule."
Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is unlikely to recover in time for Monday's Premier League trip to Leicester City.
While McCarthy was withdrawn with a hamstring injury during Everton's 1-0 defeat by Liverpool, Dutchman Stekelenburg hurt his leg in a collision with team mate Leighton Baines and also had to be replaced.
"I think Maarten Stekelenburg will be doubtful for Boxing Day," said Koeman.
Everton are ninth in the table with six wins from 17 games and the Dutchman pointed to champions Leicester City's struggles this season as proof of how competitive the Premier League is.
Leicester are in 15th place, three points above the relegation zone, but have fared better in the Champions League, qualifying for the last 16 as group winners.
"I think we can't find a better example (than Leicester) of how difficult it is in the Premier League. They evolve in the Champions League, of course, but it's not the same Premier League season for them. That's normal."
Koeman has already asked for time to rebuild his squad and turn around Everton's fortunes and reiterated the message in the wake of the Merseyside derby defeat.
"We know it's a difficult time, but I knew that before," he said. "I wasn't expecting good results every day. We know what we need to do to improve and that is not done in two months."
The Dutchman, who caused a furore among fans earlier in the season by suggesting striker Romelu Lukaku would have to leave the club to fulfil his potential, also said Everton were in talks with the player's agent over a new contract.
"I know that they are in talks together about a new contract," he added. "If it's 90 percent, 99 percent, I need to believe his agent.
"In football you don't know what can happen in one year but at least there is understanding and the boy likes to stay. He's a big part of the Everton future."
