Vaughan requires further knee surgery

Everton FC striker James Vaughan faces missing the rest of the season after suffering another serious knee injury.

'Cartilage trimmed'
The England Under-21 forward will undergo cartilage surgery in the United States next week after his knee locked in training ahead of the UEFA Cup defeat by ACF Fiorentina. It is the same left knee that kept the player out of action for 15 months following a career-threatening injury and operation in September 2005. Everton manager David Moyes said: "His knee has locked a couple of times and he is going out to have a bit of cartilage trimmed."

Injury woes 
The 19-year-old's career has been punctuated by injuries since he scored on his Everton debut against Crystal Palace FC in April 2005 – a strike which made Vaughan both his club's and the English Premier League's youngest goalscorer, aged 16 years and 271 days. He returned from his original knee ligament problem to register four goals in 14 league appearances last season, when he also severed an artery in his foot. He then sat out the start of this campaign because of a dislocated shoulder. Since regaining fitness, he had made 13 appearances in all competitions, all but one as a substitute, scoring twice – including the winner at AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup group stage.