Everton star 'to see specialist' and may be ruled out for the rest of the season

Nathan Patterson will reportedly see a specialist over the extent of his hamstring injury.

The right-back was forced off in the closing stages of Everton’s chastening 6-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this week. Patterson had been introduced at half-time for Seamus Coleman, who had a pulled groin.

The 22-year-old was making his first Toffees appearance in more than two months and it was his first game since representing Scotland during the international break three weeks ago. And in the build-up to Alfie Gilchrist bagging Chelsea’s sixth goal during stoppage-time, Patterson went down and could not continue. Everton manager Sean Dyche admitted that Patterson’s issue was ‘more serious’ than Coleman and Jarrad Branthwaite’s with the latter being withdrawn midway through the second period.

According to the Daily Mail, Patterson is in line to visit a specialist in London this weekend. It is suggested that his chances of representing Scotland at this summer’s European Championships are ‘wafer thin’. If that is the case then Patterson may well be ruled out of Everton’s final six games of the campaign in their battle for Premier League survival.

The Blues are presently two points above the relegation zone ahead of a huge showdown against bottom-three rivals Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday. Dyche will give an update on Patterson’s injury at his pre-match press conference this afternoon.