GOSLING CLOSE

David Moyes reckons Dan Gosling is very close to making the step up to the first team squad.

The youngster signed from Plymouth Argyle in January and made an instant impression at Finch Farm.

However a tear in his cartilage picked up prior to Everton’s clash with Fiorentina temporarily scuppered any chances of Gosling featuring for the senior squad. And Moyes reckons that if he had been fit, the 18-year-old would have been in with a chance of making his debut for the Blues.

The midfielder who has been resting over the past few weeks in a bid to recover from his injury and now he is available for the Blues after playing for the England Under-18s last week.

Moyes said: “Dan has been injured for the last few weeks and had a slight tear in his cartilage.

“We have rested him for four weeks now and we are hoping that he will be okay, but if he hadn’t been injured, he would have been close to being in the squad by now.

“If I had to put him in the side, I would. At the moment, we are quite short, so he could find himself very close to the squad. Jack (Rodwell) has been involved already (he came on as a substitute at Sunderland and was on the bench against Chelsea) and Dan would have been, too, had he been fit.”

With this year’s campaign coming to an end, David Moyes is looking for Gosling to make the step up next season.

He added: “We think that he has got good potential. We brought him here in January and he seems to be settling in fine. It’s just a shame that he’s had that injury.”

The Everton home shirt that was used when Dan Gosling was unveiled to the press is currently on eAuction. To bid, CLICK HERE.