No surgery for Osman

9:32pm Tuesday 7th October 2008

Everton have confirmed Leon Osman will not require surgery to fix his long-standing knee injury.

Despite missing just the home defeat to Portsmouth on August 30, the 27-year-old has been hampered by the problem throughout the season. He met club doctors on Monday to decide whether or not he should go under the knife during the international break.

"Contrary to reports, Leon Osman has not had an operation," head physio Mick Rathbone told the club's official website. "In actual fact the knee has settled down a bit over the last few weeks and so we're monitoring the situation closely."

He added: "Osman has shown no ill effects of the knee problem so far this season, scoring twice in nine appearances."