Sky Sports pundit Darren Bent was left astonished by Andre Gomes’ performance against Arsenal on Sunday.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti was able to name the Portuguese in one of his matchday squads for the first time since his arrival at the weekend, and awarded Gomes his comeback from a fracture dislocation to his right ankle 14 minutes into the second half.
The serious injury had kept Gomes out of our last 15 Premier League fixtures, and Bent feels it was clear as day as to how much we miss him after the 6 ft 2 ace entered the action at the Emirates Stadium.
“I was so happy to see Gomes [feature against Arsenal],” Bent told Football Insider. “He was so good. In the second half, you could see where they miss him.
“He’s so comfortable in possession and his range of passing, left and right foot, he impressed me. I thought: ‘Wow, that’s what they’ve been missing.’
“It’s testament to himself to get himself back so quickly. That was a nasty one [and] I thought he could have been out for ages.”
Does Gomes start vs Man Utd on Sunday?
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Gomes was able to help the Blues regain control in North London having fallen behind inside the first minute of the second half, and while we would fail to find an equaliser, the former Barcelona man was our clear driving force as he used his time in possession with far more purpose than Morgan Schneiderlin or Fabian Delph had before.
Ancelotti will be in no doubt that Gomes is a player worthy of being one of the first names on his teamsheets from here on, having made the team tick at Arsenal 112 days after he was forced off at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
But Gomes’ desire to return from the injury was not the only thing that ensured his season was not over in November, as the work by club doctor John Hollingsworth and Head of Medicine and Therapy Danny Donachie must be credited, too.
Donachie was responsible for overseeing Gomes’ rehabilitation, while Hollingsworth decisive actions in the immediate moments after Gomes sustained his injury decided how long he would be out of action for.
Hollingsworth reset Gomes’ leg on the field at Goodison Park in November, fixing the broken bones back into place, before travelling with the £112,212-per-week ace to Aintree Hospital where the midfielder underwent surgery the next day.
Had Hollingsworth not rest Gomes’ leg, then it would very much be likely that the 26-year-old would still be on the sidelines and not earning the praise of pundit’s like Bent for his impact against Arsenal.
In other Everton news, the club are willing to pay £30m for an ‘essential’ summer signing after Ancelotti met with owner Farhad Moshiri.