Everton have confirmed that midfielder James McCarthy suffered a double leg break in the side's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

The 27-year-old was forced off 10 minutes after the break at Goodison Park when attempting to block a shot from Salomon Rondon, an incident that left the Baggies striker in tears.

Confirming the news on their official Twitter account, the Toffees said: "All our thoughts are with James McCarthy this evening after it was confirmed he has suffered a double leg fracture."

After the game Everton manager Sam Allardyce described the injury to reporters as "very nasty", while his West Brom counterpart Alan Pardew said that Rondon has been left "traumatised" by the sound of McCarthy's bone breaking.

The Republic of Ireland international, who was making just his fourth league appearance of the season, now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.