Jack Rodwell paid tribute to Everton’s medical staff after returning from a serious ankle injury three weeks ahead of schedule.
The Blues midfielder has been sidelined since August 29 when he sustained ligament damage in the Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.
It was initially feared he could miss as much as three months of the season while the injury healed.
However, the 19-year-old was a surprise selection on the Blues bench against Stoke City at the weekend and then stepped up his rehab by playing an hour in the reserves’ 5-0 win over Blackpool on Wednesday afternoon.
His inclusion in the match-day squad against the Potters came less than nine weeks after he initially collected the injury and Rodwell was full of praise for the work that has gone on behind the scenes.
The England Under-21 star told evertontv: “Credit has to go to the medical team. I’m a few weeks ahead of schedule. I was meant to be out until Christmas time so I’ve done really well to get back by now.
“Now it’s just a case of getting my confidence up and getting a bit of time on the pitch like I did against Blackpool. I’ll get my head down, do some extra work in the gym and hopefully I’ll get my chance again.”
Despite coming straight back into first-team contention, Rodwell admitted he still had a little way to go before he was back to peak fitness.
The Academy graduate said it was about restoring confidence in his ankle and topping up his match sharpness with minutes on the pitch.
“I felt quite far from match fitness (against Blackpool reserves),” he said. “But the sharpness will come. It was my first game back in nine or 10 weeks so I’m pleased with how it has gone. I’m three weeks ahead of schedule so I can’t complain, but there are little bits that I need to work on.
“Obviously I always want to perform well but it was more to gain more confidence in my ankle. It’s been a while now, my ankle has been in a boot, I’ve been on crutches – it’s been a long time out so it’s about getting the confidence in the ankle and feeling good on the pitch again.
“I was involved in the last game on the bench,” he added. “All I can do is keep training, keep working on my ankle, get confident and keep getting in the squad - hopefully I’ll get my time on the pitch.”
After helping the reserves to a convincing win over the Seasiders in a dress rehearsal for Saturday’s Premier League clash, the Blues will now turn their attention to beating Blackpool’s first team at Bloomfield Road.
Rodwell said he hoped to be involved but was also prepared to be patient and put his trust in David Moyes to manage his return to action correctly.
“If it seems right that I come on, then I’m sure the gaffer will do so,” he said.
“If not, then I can only keep working, keep training well and keep some good form going in training and hopefully the gaffer will see that.
“Like I said it’s about getting confidence in the ankle now which will take a couple of weeks I think. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself.”
