Injury update on Jean-Philippe Gbamin & when he may return for Everton

Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin has stepped up his recovery from a long-term achilles injury, and is now back on the training field as his individual rehabilitation programme continues.

The Ivory Coast international picked up a thigh injury in the summer of 2019, which he needed surgery on, and soon after returning to action he was struck down in training with another serious problem.

The 25-year-old has made just two appearances for the Toffees - in the opening games of the 2019/20 season - but there's hope that he may be fit enough to return to action before the end of the current campaign.

In a club issued statement, Everton confirmed that Gbamin is back out on grass at the club's USM Finch Farm training facility, and is beginning to incorporate running and ball work.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti previously intimated his hope that Gbamin could feature before the end of the season, saying: “To play this season is realistic, not in the next few games, but before the end of the season, we hope he can play.

“We have no concerns [about Gbamin’s long-term fitness], it will take time. He was never injured [at his former clubs], then he came here and had a lot of problems, so he was really unlucky."

The industrious midfielder started his career at RC Lens, for whom he played 98 times, and he previously represented France at a variety of youth international levels. He then switched his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, and moved to Germany to continue his club career with Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin has played 12 times for Ivory Coast | ISSOUF SANOGO/Getty Images

95 appearances later and Gbamin joined Everton for £25m, penning a five-year contract. The club are yet to see what he can do, but there's clearly belief around the club that his injury woes will soon be a thing of the past.


Source : 90min