LIVERPOOL -- Everton manager Roberto Martinez has indicated that he would have no problem dropping Tim Howard and sticking with goalkeeper Joel Robles in the FA Cup -- even if they get to Wembley.#INSERT
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caption:Tim Howard could miss Everton's FA Cup tie with Arsenal despite being first-choice goalkeeper.
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United States international Howard is the club’s first-choice keeper, but backup Robles -- signed from Atletico Madrid for two million pounds last July following a loan spell at Wigan -- has played in every one of their cup games this season.
Martinez has yet to reveal which of the two will play on Saturday when the Toffees travel to Arsenal for an FA Cup quarterfinal.
The winners will face a semifinal at Wembley in April, with the Toffees bidding to end a trophy drought stretching back to 1995, when they lifted the FA Cup under Joe Royle’s management.
Martinez won the FA Cup last season when in charge of Wigan, selecting Robles for the final, in which they beat Manchester City 1-0.
Howard, who is celebrating his 35th birthday on Thursday, impressed for the United States on Wednesday as they suffered a 2-0 friendly defeat to Ukraine in Cyprus.
But Martinez is adamant that 23-year-old Spaniard Robles is more than capable of standing in for the veteran shot-stopper.
"When you’ve got a strong squad, you’ve got huge belief in every member of it, and that’s the case we have," told a news conference on Thursday
"Tim Howard has been outstanding this season. It’s one of the best seasons I’ve seen from him in many ways, and his role in the dressing room is crucial too.
"Joel Robles has grown and is benefiting from working with someone such as Tim Howard.
"Both keepers have been reliable and very good performers. You always need to use the squad during the course of the season.
"I’ve always felt very confident with the options we had in goal."
RM: "Tim Howard has been outstanding this season. It's probably been one of his best seasons." http://t.co/2VsWpz9zea #EFCAFC
— Everton (@Everton) March 6, 2014
Howard, like Robles, has an FA Cup winner’s medal, having lifted the trophy with Manchester United in 2004.
He was also a member of the Everton team who lost to Chelsea in the 2009 final.
Asked if he thought Howard would be disappointed if he did not play against Arsenal, Martinez continued: "Every player should be desperate to play.
"The biggest frustration as a player is when you’re injured, and you cannot play or train.
"As a player, when you are fit, you want to play in every single game. The moment you have a player who doesn’t want to play, you’ve got something wrong. You’ve got a problem.
"The whole squad is ready. It’s a glamorous tie and we’re all looking forward to it."
Martinez, meanwhile, said that captain Phil Jagielka would probably miss the cup game with a hamstring problem that kept him out of last Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham.
The manager said: "Phil Jagielka is very unlikely to be involved on Saturday, even though you never know.
"We’re going to try to give him as long as we can. But if the game was on Friday, he wouldn’t be available."