"?Yannick Bolasie is set to miss up to a year's worth of football after the Everton winger was ruled out of action with a ruptured knee ligament injury.
The DR Congo international will be out for a period of 11 to 12 months, with Sky Sports News making the announcement on their official Twitter account courtesy of Blues boss Ronald Koeman.
Bolasie suffered the injury in the 1-1 home draw with Manchester United at the beginning of December, and speculation had been rife that the pacy wideman would be unavailable for some time.
BREAKING: Ronald Koeman says Everton winger Yannick Bolasie will be out for 11 to 12 months after knee surgery. #SSNHQ
Those fears have now been realised after Koeman ruled Bolasie out for the entirety of 2017. Speaking to the press at the club's Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, however, the Netherlands legend remained optimistic about Bolasie's chances of making a full recovery.
He said: "He's optimistic but it is a long-term injury. It will be around 11-12 months before he is back. That is a big disappointment but he will come back. He has a strong mentality."
Bolasie had already gone under the knife to rectify damage to tissue surrouding the affected area, and will face further surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament he ruptured, once the swelling has fully subsided, in the early part of this year.
The ex-Crystal Palace player became Everton's most expensive signing ever when he arrived in a reported £25m deal during the summer, and he quickly settled into life at Goodison Park after penning a five-year contract with the Toffees. Bolasie laid on four assists in his opening 16 appearances for Everton - each assist allowing good friend and teammate Romelu Lukaku to profit from - as well as his maiden Blues strike in the 2-1 away defeat to Burnley.
However, a challenge around the 65th minute mark of the Premier League draw with United left Bolasie in agony near the corner flag up by the Gwladys Street End, and he was subsequently substituted from the field of play.
The news about Bolasie's injury is likely to accelerate Koeman's desire to add attacking options to his ranks in January, with Manchester United's Memphis Depay heavily linked with a switch to Merseyside. An £11m deal for Charlton wonderkid Ademola Lookman is also nearer completion, if reports are to be believed - a move that would ease the burden on Koeman's stretched resources on the wing.
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