They may now consider nursing Howard with the cup final three weeks away.

Nash, his understudy, has yet to play a game for the club since his arrival from Wigan last summer.

Assistant manager Steve Round said: “Maybe giving Carlo a run-out before the final would be something we will consider.”

Everton end their league season at home to West Ham on Saturday and then away to Fulham on the final day of the campaign.

Howard underlined the determination to finish the season in style.

He said: “It has been a long season for me, I have started every game and played a lot for the US. But I have been in the UK now for six years and I am getting used to the physical demands.

“And nobody now wants to stumble near the end. We all feel the physical pressure, but we want to go to Wembley now and put on a real show for our fans.

“We have lost a lot of important players through injury, but the manager made it clear we were not going to buckle under that sort of pressure.

“People have been asked to play out of position for months now, and nobody has moaned or complained about it. They have just got on with the job. Now we are getting the rewards.”