Moyes said: “Andy is probably about a month away.

“I know he is hoping to be back in two weeks but he needs a lot of practice.”

Van der Meyde, who has also had two spells at Ajax as well as playing for FC Twente in his native Holland, has spoken of his annoyance at the timing of the injury.

He said: “The injury has left me frustrated as it is a dream to be involved in the Premiership. This is a good chance to prove myself.”

Everton’s two other recruits during the transfer window – defenders Matteo Ferrari and Nuno Valente – will be in the squad to face Dinamo Bucharest in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

Valente, 30, is being tipped to become a success in the top flight, despite his baptism of fire in the 1-0 defeat against Portsmouth at the weekend.

The £1.5m (€2.2m) buy has vast experience having helped Porto win the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.

Team-mate Joseph Yobo said: “Nuno has just come in and trained with us once before Portsmouth and that wasn’t even a long session.

“But he showed that he is a good player and it is good to have him.

“We have seen his qualities close up and we all know that he is a good player. As soon as he is match fit, he will add more to his game and he is going to be a big help to us.”

Everton midfielder Phil Neville will be available for the first-round first leg in Romania after being suspended for the Portsmouth game.

Lee Carsley (knee), Per Kroldrup (hernia), Alessandro Pistone (knee ) and James Vaughan (knee) are all sidelined with long term injuries.