EVERTON HOPE TO have Seamus Coleman back in time for their clash against Spurs.

Toffees boss Roberto Martinez expects to be without the injured Ireland international and defensive counterpart Sylvain Distin against Aston Villa this weekend.

But he’s optimistic that the pair will be fit for the trip to White Hart Lane on 9 February.

Coleman limped off with a hamstring injury against West Brom and missed the FA Cup win over Stevenage as well as the derby drubbing against Liverpool.

“[For] Seamus Coleman, it’s a little bit too early for the weekend,” Martinez said today.

“Sylvain Distin is in a similar position. I don’t think they’re too far away.

“Seamus and Gerard Deulofeu will be fully fit for the Spurs game. The Aston Villa game is still a little bit of a question mark.”

There was good news too regarding Romelu Lukaku who was stretchered off in Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat at Anfield.

The striker is expected to be out for “weeks rather than months” as initially feared with a clearer timescale to be set in the coming days.

Joey O’Brien set for three months out with dislocated shoulder