Everton boss Roberto Martinez has revealed that Romelu Lukaku's ankle injury is not as bad as first feared.

The striker was forced off during the Toffees' 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday following an awkward collision with teammate Gareth Barry.

Despite initial fears over the severity of the problem, the Belgian is now likely to be sidelined for weeks instead of months.

"There is no ligament damage and the injury is not as bad as we first thought," Martinez told the club's official website. "It will be a case of weeks rather than months."

Lukaku has scored nine goals in 20 games for Everton so far this season.