Fellaini ruled out for three weeks

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini will be sidelined for three weeks with a knee injury, the Belgium Football Association has confirmed.

The damage, which was picked up during Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Wigan and confirmed after a scan on Tuesday, sees the 24-year-old out of his country’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Scotland.

Fellaini will spent his three weeks out recuperating in Belgium after an agreement was reached between his national FA and Everton.

The news rules him out of Everton’s first match after the international break, away at QPR on October 21, and he is a major doubt for the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park a week later.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots has decided against calling up a replacement player to his squad.

“Fellaini got a kick on the knee,” Wilmots said. “I hope that by Thursday at the latest I will know who is fit so I can name my team then.

“But even if more players are not able to play I won’t be calling any new names up. I will look for solutions within our current squad.”