Everton club captain Megan Finnigan will not return until 2026 because she requires an operation to help repair her anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) injury.
The 27-year-old centre-back suffered the knee issue in January and Everton manager Brian Sorensen has confirmed she will not be in contention until after the Women's Super League (WSL) resumes on 10 January following its winter break.
Finnigan's news adds to the injury crisis at Everton, with five senior players now out.
Three of those - goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, striker Aurora Galli and defender Rion Ishikawa - also have knee injuries.
Midfielder Katja Snoeijs suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss Sunday's home league game against Manchester United, but striker Kelly Gago returns following concussion.
Everton's injury issues saw them recall defender Issy Hobson from her loan spell at WSL2 side Nottingham Forest last week, while goalkeeper Katie Startup has arrived on an emergency loan from Manchester City.
