Broja takes another step towards full fitness

Armando Broja is closing in on finally being available to make his Everton debut after coming through a half's worth of action for the Under-21s against Watford last night.

The Chelsea loanee, was signed on transfer deadline day carrying an Achilles injury that was expected to keep him out of action for around 12 weeks.

He is now undergoing a series of match involvements with the aim of building up his strength with an eye on being involved at first-team level towards the end of the year.

"I got through the first 45 [minutes] and I felt like I could have probably played more but it was always planned for me to play 45, so it was a good start for me,” Broja said following the U21s’ loss to the Hornets’ development side.

"As a player, you've always got to be patient — patient with chances, patient with injuries, patient with situations that are not always in your control.

“I would have loved to have been back sooner but it's one of those ones where you just have to be patient, take your time with it, make sure you're feeling good, make sure everything's right.

"When I first came to Everton, I would have given anything to be out there on the pitch with the players. That's what any player wants — to be in there with the squad week in, week out, playing and training. You need to be patient, you need to be resilient and strong.

“It was good to be back out on the pitch It’s been a while since my injury so it was just a nice feeling to be back out there playing, feeling the game, being back on the grass [and] playing with a smile on my face.

“So, I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to keep on progressing and hopefully be back with the first team.

“I was also excited to put on the Everton shirt. It was a really good feeling. Hopefully I can put on the shirt for the senior team soon.”