Everton captain Phil Neville's hopes of playing in the 212th Merseyside derby have been dashed.
David Moyes has revealed the Club skipper has had to undergo surgery on his injured knee - setting back his return to first team action.
Neville had hoped to avoid surgery - and had pencilled in a return to action this week.
"Phil Neville has had to go in for a minor operation on his knee and that's put him back for a few weeks," explained Moyes.
"He had a slight tear in his cartilage, which looks like it has got slightly bigger."
Initially, it seemed that the midfielder did not require surgery but the growth in the tear has necessitated it.
Moyes added: "They’re (the surgeons) going to go in and have a look and see what they’re going to do about it.
"We were probably expecting Phil to have maybe started against Man United, Hull or Liverpool and he will now be out for another three or four weeks."
The skipper has been out of action since a challenge by Dickson Etuhu of Fulham saw the England midfielder stretchered off the pitch at Craven Cottage in September.
