Carlo Ancelotti has backed Andre Gomes to ‘recover soon’ after the midfielder returned to Everton training following the horrific ankle injury suffered against Tottenham earlier this season.
The Portuguese international suffered a horror injury during the 2-2 draw with Spurs in November, a fairly innocuous-looking challenge from Son Heung-Min leading to a fracture-dislocation, the 26-year-old being administered oxygen in distressing scenes at Goodison Park.
Son was left in tears following the incident as players from both sides struggled to console the South Korean, though news of Gomes’ return to training ahead of schedule will be welcomed positively in footballing circles.
Gomes was initially expected to be out for around six months to a year, but is now a realistic possibility to feature again this season and Everton boss Ancelotti is delighted at the prospect of welcoming the former Barcelona star back into the fold.
Andre Gomes is back in first team training with Everton after dislocating and fracturing his ankle in November 💙 pic.twitter.com/1URPIS1S2f
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 28, 2020
“He is a humble guy and he really likes to play,” said Ancelotti at his pre-match press conference.
“For a player who is out for three months like him, it is important to try to start with the team. He was really happy this week.
“In training, he is confident, he has no problem, he tries to do everything. I think he can recover soon.
“It is really important [for Gomes to be progressing in his rehabilitation] because first of all he is a player with fantastic quality.
“He has experience and has played for fantastic teams like Valencia and Barcelona. He can give us his experience and quality.”
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