Everton fear striker James Vaughan is facing a two-month
lay-off after dislocating his shoulder.
Vaughan, 19, suffered the injury after an innocuous collision with
Preston defender Youl Mawene in Wednesday's pre-season
friendly.
The injury will rule Vaughan out of Everton's tour of the United
States and the start of the Premier League season.
Assistant boss Alan Irvine told Everton's website: "I would think
he will be out for a couple of months."
Vaughan needed extensive and lengthy treatment on the pitch before
being taken to hospital.
The England Under-19 striker will undergo a scan on Thursday and
Irvine added: "Having suffered the injury myself I know how painful
it is and how long it can take to get back.
"It's not a long, long term problem like a knee injury but it's not
something we can expect him to return from in a matter of
weeks."
Vaughan has been dogged by injuries during his short career.
After bursting on to the scene as the Premier League's youngest
scorer, he missed most of the 2005-06 campaign with a knee injury
and last season he severed a leg artery in the draw with Bolton in
April.
Irvine said: "It's bad luck for him. After being out for so long he
did really well at the end of last season and he was looking good
in pre-season."
