Everton FC will not rush John Stones back

Everton FC will not rush John Stones back ahead of schedule as they plan for the defender’s return to fitness in January.

The England international is recovering well from an ankle ligament injury sustained at the start of October, and may be back earlier than initially predicted.

However Roberto Martinez wants the 20-year-old to be able to play a significant part in the final five months of the season, and won’t jeopardise that for the sake of shaving a couple of weeks off his recovery time.

He said: “The surgeon and the specialist have been very,very pleased. I think they’ve been quite surprised how quickly he is recovering.

“We need to be careful though. The second half of the season is going to be really demanding and we want John to be fully fit and ready to cope with that.

“What we don’t want is for him to come back for one game and then get in a position where his ankle isn’t fully recovered and he needs more recovery time.

“He’s doing well though. He’s walking around Finch Farm with no protection. He’s ready to step up his individual programme and it’s exciting for the turn of the year to see when he’ll be ready,

“We don’t know the date at the moment but I’d say sometime in January he’ll be able to join the group which is incredible news.”

Stones may be on the sidelines but that hasn’t kept him from attending games as a fan and cheering on his team-mates from the stands.

And the former Barnsley right-back admitted it has not always been easy having to be a spectator.

“I have been at Goodison watching,” he added. “I can’t keep myself away! I try to get to some of the away games as well.

“It has been difficult to not be a part of the European nights. I am lucky that I have not missed a lot of games for club and country.

“There are a lot of occasions when the team will be rotated and it is fortunate that I have not missed as many as I could have.

“I am gutted that I am not playing in Europe – hopefully we are still in it when I get back! Then I will be able to enjoy what everyone else is feeling.”