James McCarthy was inspired on his road to recovery by some encouraging words from Seamus Coleman in the immediate aftermath of his injury.

McCarthy cleared the latest hurdle on his comeback trail when he played a practice match at USM Finch Farm last week – nearly 10 months after suffering a double leg fracture in a match against West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park.

In an exclusive first interview since his return from injury, the midfielder told evertontv Coleman was in the tunnel waiting for him after he left the field and revealed his close friend and teammate has provided consistent support – and a valuable reference point – throughout a testing period.

Republic of Ireland international McCarthy expressed his excitement at being “back in the thick of it” on the training ground and detailed how manager Marco Silva became personally involved in his rehabilitation process.

McCarthy’s full interview is available for free to Season Ticket Members and We Are Everton Members and is part of a wide range of exclusive content throughout the 2018-19 campaign which includes live streams of Under-23s and Under-18s games, exclusive features and more.

>>> WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE >>> 

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