Everton have suffered an injury blow as their midfielder Steven Pienaar has hurt his ankle on international duty at the African Nations Cup.

The South African is set to be out for as many as three weeks due to the problem after having sat out their final Group D clash with Senegal on Wednesday.

"I've been told it is up to two to three weeks before it is fixed. I have been unfortunate with injuries," Pienaar is quoted as saying on skysports.com.

The 25-year-old, who is on loan from Borussia Dortmund, is likely to miss the Toffees' game with Reading and their UEFA Cup ties with Norwegian outfit SK Brann.