Martinez hopeful over injured pair

, 17 September, 17comments  |  Jump to most recent
Roberto Martinez has not ruled either Muhamed Besic or Seamus Coleman out of the weekend trip to Swansea City despite both being forced out of the action against Chelsea last weekend with suspected hamstring injuries.

Besic pulled up clutching the back of his thigh just four minutes into the Blues' 3-1 win over the defending champions and had to be substituted soon afterwards when it was clear he couldn't continue.

Coleman, meanwhile, appeared to suffer a similar injury later in the game and was also taken off.

Martinez says that the club have had positive news on the duo this week and that they have responded well to treatment. He told the media at his press conference this morning that either or both could be back this weekend or on Tuesday when Everton take on Reading in the Capital One Cup third round.

He also confirmed that Bryan Oviedo will be fully fit for the trip to Reading. The Costa Rican was absent from his country's matches over the international break and was not risked against Chelsea because of a knee complaint.

Darron Gibson, meanwhile, is set for one more outing with the Under-21s before he will be considered fit enough for selection for the senior side.

Martinez feels that the Republic or Ireland international is ready to relaunch his career after recovering from this latest injury setback, a metatarsal fracture sustained in training earlier this year.

In comments made to the Echo, the manager doesn't address the midfielder's recent off-field problems which saw him in a magistrate's court in Manchester on 1st September to answer to a drink-driving charge but he clearly feels Gibson can add something to an area of the field where the Blues were well stocked.

“You get to a point that as a human being you need a reset moment in your career, and he’s had that,” Martinez said. “He’s coped with everything with maturity.

“The biggest test you have as a footballer is when you cannot enjoy your football on the pitch.

“Darron has been very unfortunate with injuries. But now he has a real focus and is ready to fight immensely for his place and I think we are going to see the best of Darron.”

 

Reader Comments (17)

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Jimmy Salt
1 Posted 17/09/2015 at 17:38:16
The sooner Gibson is off the payroll, the better. I'm sick of hearing about how he plays the odd decent ball twice a year before he gets injured (again).

Time to move on; there's no room for sentiment in football.

Darryl Ritchie
2 Posted 17/09/2015 at 18:02:07
Good news all around. Just don't rush it. The squad is pretty deep and talented. We've got them covered!

I never thought I'd be saying that a few years back.

Julian Wait
3 Posted 17/09/2015 at 18:07:49
I wouldn’t be surprised (or too disappointed) to see Stones at RB and Ramiro Funes Mori at left CB.

Besic’s injury looked more serious, and I would prefer he gets another week even if considered fit; we will need Besic fully fit when Barry / McCarthy need replacing (injury, suspension, or just rest).

I would like to see Pennington and/or Browning on the bench.

Brent Stephens
4 Posted 17/09/2015 at 18:08:31
Good news about Besic and Coleman. Not too soon though, Roberto.

Gibson sadly has picked up too many injuries for his and for our good. But I can’t say I don’t feel sorry for him. After all, he is "one of ours", as we always say of our players. And he doesn’t intend to get injured. There is room for sentiment(ality).

Eugene Kearney
5 Posted 17/09/2015 at 19:35:13
Nice to read there's still the odd human around, Brent (#4).
Hope they ALL get fit - we need them all.
Christy Ring
6 Posted 17/09/2015 at 20:23:25
I hope Coleman is fit for Saturday, but if not I’d play Browning. I’ve nothing against Funes Mori, but Stones has been outstanding beside the Jag, it’s his best position.
Richard Reeves
7 Posted 17/09/2015 at 20:42:38
I know it was only soft tissue damage (whatever that is) but how could they be ready so soon? Give them both time off until there’s little or no chance of aggravating the injury.

Give Browning a chance at right back and move Stones into his position if he’s having a bad game and give Pennington the Capital One Cup game. I agree with Jimmy with regards to Gibson; if he could find another club, I’d get rid.

Chris Wilson
8 Posted 17/09/2015 at 20:58:42
Yeah, I have to agree with Christy (6). I would rather just plug in Browning if Seamus isn’t ready, and maybe play Lennon to help him out if necessary. I think it’s more important to have defensive continuity against Swansea’s very talented front four, rather than shifting the starting right center-back to right back, the starting left center-back to right center-back, and introducing a new left center-back who has only played 15 minutes. Plus it might make our left side of defense very vulnerable.

We still don’t know much about Funes Mori, and even though Galloway was brilliant against Chelsea; he was torn apart by Man City. And he’s just back from injury, so it might make more sense to keep Funes Mori on the bench to provide depth.

Browning has experience playing right back at Anfield and at Old Trafford. He looked fine in preseason, and he has put in the early work this summer to be ready for just this kind of situation.

I don’t hold the Man City game against him; it seems like it should be so easy to switch from the right side of the field to the left, but I’ve seen it mess up even the best defenders who get disoriented by the new field location. Give Browning a shot if Seasmus can’t go... more time to heal that hammie.

Duncan McDine
9 Posted 17/09/2015 at 21:04:53
I'd also go along with Christy. We'd all love to see a bit more of Funes Mori but Stones isn't half the player when playing full back. Coleman is one player we really don't have great backup for, but Browning deserves his chance if Seamus isn't ready.
Anthony Lamb
11 Posted 17/09/2015 at 22:21:41
I do have to question a comment that suggests it is less than "human" to maintain that Darren Gibson is simply unfit for the purpose of playing professional football. This is not being an insensitive human, it is simply a position arrived at by looking at all the evidence upon which one can make an informed opinion.

A major part of that evidence would obviously rest on being able to actually get onto the field of play and perform with any degree of regularity and consistency. Throughout his career, especially during his time at Everton, Gibson has been unable to perform that fairly important/essential task. There may well be any number of factors contributing to that but all the evidence seems to highlight the primary one that he seems unable to withstand the physical rigours of the occupation for a whole variety of reasons, some of which we have little or no knowledge of, some may be of his own doing and others may well be down to misfortune. However, the fact remains that he has been unable to play anything like a meaningful role in the evolution of the team in the time he has been here and surely it is time to say enough is enough and facilitate his move to pastures new. His financial security after all should not really be in too much doubt? Surely

Everton must then be capable of nurturing and producing a young player who is able to do what the club actually pay him for and expect him to do, namely actually play? Anybody who maintains otherwise would have to point to the evidence to justify an opposing view. Football is after all a business with employees paid to do a job. If they cannot do that job then unfortunately their continuing employment becomes problematic. It is nothing to do with being "inhuman" simply an observation based on fairly conclusive evidence.

Jay Harris
12 Posted 17/09/2015 at 22:27:00
Cue Oviedo and Gibson playing against Reading.

Why is it that footballers today can get away with only playing 30 games a season while others play the whole campaign because they put the extra training in?

Mollycoddled babies aren't treated this well and they don't get £50,000 plus a week.

Charles Cook
13 Posted 17/09/2015 at 22:38:30
Anthony, I’m struggling to find the suggestion that it is less than human to maintain that Gibson is unfit to play professional football.

It’s late and I’ve probably missed something really obvious but where is it?

Anthony Dwyer
14 Posted 18/09/2015 at 01:05:14
I must say I agree with Jimmy Salt @ 1: far too much leeway given to players who are constantly injured. We have no room to keep paying players who do nothing in the first team.

Darren Gibson plus Tony Hibbert along with Steven Pienaar take around £350,000 a month from our wage bill, in return they probably average about 8 games between them and 3 goals. That’s the equivalent of getting a free contract player or a loan deal player on £90,000 a week. For that money, we could be looking at a top class player who can play every week.

If anyone is doubting this, I’d like to point to James Milner for one who would come into that bracket and last season Negredo was loaned out for similar wages to what I’ve posted.

Another way of looking at it is that for every game Gibson is fit for, Besic or Ledson could be blooded. Browning the same with Hibbert and Deulofeu in for Pienaar. In that respect these dead beat squad players hold our youth back.

It may sound harsh as some have been good loyal servants to EFC but again there’s another way to see it. Hibbert has earned millions and has barely played in about 4 years, Pienaar bailed to Spurs when it suited him and Gibson has had about 4 seasons to prove his fitness. With a smallish wage budget, it’s something we should look at or build on.

Kieran Kinsella
15 Posted 18/09/2015 at 03:30:06
Just read that Gibson is in the Ireland squad. Is this a joke? He just seems to play for Ireland between injury spells that keep him out of the Everton team.
Chris Gould
16 Posted 18/09/2015 at 07:04:05
I agree with comments suggesting that we shouldn’t split the pairing of Stones and Jags. Unfortunately I think that will happen. It did against Chelsea, and to be fair, worked out okay. I don’t expect Funes Mori to be happy sitting on the bench. I expect he’ll view this as an opportunity to show what he can do.

Martinez will know how well Stones and Jags have been playing, and he’ll also be keen to keep Stones happy. If he slots him in at right back then he must have little faith in Browning being able to do the job. As well as being keen to see how Funes Mori can cope. It will also depend on the particular threat that Swansea’s front men provide.

Hopefully Coleman will have recovered and it won’t be an issue.

Anthony Lamb
17 Posted 18/09/2015 at 22:19:42
Hi Charles, I was just responding to Eugene’s comment (5) where he mentions it being nice to see the odd human still being around, and it being related to being sympathetic to Gibson’s usual absences (Brent 4).

I drew the conclusion that to maintain the opposite view, namely that these absences are unsustainable and eventually intolerable should not then be construed as being "inhuman".

Hope I did not make it too confusing, but I had been with the grandkids most of the day/evening! This indulgence of players like Gibson however, does get to be a bit tedious! Anyway, thanks for the response/query.

Brent Stephens
18 Posted 18/09/2015 at 22:47:17
Anthony #16 - just to explain.

Somebody said, "There’s no room for sentiment in football."

I think there is room for sentiment(ality) and posted that. I And Eugene saw some humanity in that.

I also said that sadly he’s had too many injuries for him and for us.


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