The Spanish midfielder was yesterday ruled out for at least six months with a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Arteta provided much of Everton's creativity and will be sorely missed as the Toffees seek to overcome the four-point deficit between them and fifth-placed Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League and progress from the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

However, Neville has urged the rest of the squad to step up a gear to compensate for the midfielder's absence.

"It's a massive blow for us because any team would miss a player of Mikel's quality," said Neville.

"The lads are absolutely gutted for him but these things happen in football and we will just have to get on with it.

"He's already contributed a lot to what could be a very good season for us and we will be doing our utmost to make sure we keep things going.

"We have an awful lot to play for and there's nothing to be gained by feeling sorry for ourselves.

"We have some big games coming up now and it's up to each and every member of the squad to raise to the occasion and make sure the momentum we've got isn't lost.

"There is certainly enough quality here to cope in Mikel's absence but his loss is undoubtedly a bit of a setback."

Injuries have been a consistent problem for Everton this season with striker Ayegbeni Yakubu ruled out for the rest of the campaign with an Achilles injury while James Vaughan and Nuno Valente (both knee problems) are also sidelined long term.

Midfielders Leon Osman (stomach) and Steven Pienaar (hamstring) could return this weekend while Louis Saha made his comeback from a hamstring problem in Sunday's goalless draw at Newcastle.

Neville believes his former Manchester United team-mate can provide the squad with a necessary boost after the disappointment of losing Arteta.

"It's his turn to deliver. We're all rooting for him," said Neville.

"He's shown glimpses so far this season and with 12 games to go it's time for Louis to join in with the form that we are showing.

"We will need him over the last couple of months of the season."

Scans have revealed Saha's fellow forward Victor Anichebe has strained ligaments in his right knee but it may be some days before the extent of the problem is known.

The 20-year-old was injured by a horror tackle from Newcastle Kevin Nolan which saw the midfielder shown a straight red card at St James' Park.

"Victor has got very bad bruising on his shin and on the outside of his ankle but we're not overly concerned about that," head physio Mick Rathbone told evertonfc.com.

"However, he has had a series of scans and he appears to have strained ligaments on the outside of his right knee.

"He is very sore indeed and we need to take a few days to let the area settle down before we can properly make an accurate clinical evaluation."