Li Tie close to Everton return

Tie has been out for over a year with the injury, and the process of healing his leg has been a long one.

Everton head physio Mick Rathbone, freed of having to nurse Wayne Rooney, is confident that Li Tie will come back to full fitness.

"After a break on the shin, it was always going to be a long lay-off," Rathbone told Everton's official website.

"It has been frustrating for him because he has missed so much, not just for Everton but also with China in the Asia Cup."