Gomes comes through practice game

Looking forward to seeing The Beard back on the Goodison pitch.

And I can't wait to hear the roar that will greet him.

It will be great to have him back as first choice. Leave Delph on the bench.

I just hope he's eased back in, with a structured programme to get him back to full fitness without taking unnecessary risks.

I didn't expect to see him so soon.

Good luck, André.

Anyone who's seen the YouTube vids of him taking the kids to the game, read the stories of him spending time in hospital with the kid, et al, would agree.

I would love to see Gomes make a full recovery. Sometimes good things actually do happen to good people. Knock 'em in Andre!

Oh, and since I'm a bit nit-picky, please don't commit fouls in dangerous areas when you come back.

Second oh and, don't rush back. We need you long term. Cameos work for me for the foreseeable future.

Third oh and, you're too nice and decent a guy to do this, but maybe have Tom Davies tackle H-M Son knee high when we play Spurs?

We have missed his influence at CM but he will be in no doubt that he has to perform and perform consistently. There will be healthy competition for that role and maybe more so after the summer window. He will have to be on his A-game, week-in & week-out, to cement his place.

If he can produce that standard consistently, he will be one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League, one of the players who has the class to help us challenge for the top 4 (or should I say top 5) places.

I used to like Son as a player but can't forgive him for his part in what happened. I wouldn't wish a vengeance tackle on him, like Reid on Marwood after his assault on Adrian Heath, but the “not that sort of player” PR campaign still rankles. 3 points at White Hart Lane and nicking their European place might help.

It's a miracle, and hopefully he'll be eased into action, and will find himself again on the park, and a massive boost to this seasons run in.

Welcome back, André.

Watch him go under Ancelotti's guidance!

On his day he is our most talented central midfielder but that day does not come often enough. This season before his injury he was mediocre, making few tackles and few assists; bypassed too easily and not moving the ball forwards quickly or successfully enough.

If he can recapture some of the highs of last year, or even better his Valencia or Benfica time, then great but my worry is that he is a player that although easy on the eye is not actually doing enough. Will be interesting to see what Carlo makes of him. We're certainly not blessed in central midfield currently.

It will be interesting to see how his ankle ... and his nerve ... stands up to the first real challenge.

Dave @33 – yes, I think he has the capability but consistency is key for any top-class player. Not much use if he's only showing it one game in four. Difficult to predict our midfield for next season; much may depend on the form of Gomes and fitness of Gbamin.

But I side with Sam Hoare and his comments on Andre. He has the physique, the technique, the power, the passing range, the shooting to be an extremely valuable member of the team.

However, in his time at Everton he has seldom displayed all those skills within single games or consistently over a run of games.

If Carlo Ancelotti can get a more consistent tune out of him, then we potentially have one helluva player. But my opinion remains he ain't 'it' based on his Everton career to date. I sincerely hopes he becomes 'it'.

Had these two not got crocked then Silva may still be with us and arguably the team may still be struggling depending on your views of Silva's capabilities.

Next season may indeed be something we can look forward to (as we do every year) but seriously, with Carlo, things look a lot more promising.

That's kind of already been done with Gomes. He was a lot further forwards for Benfica, playing not quite as a 10, but as an 8 with less defensive duties. This was probably because he was young and being eased in, that Benfica only had 2 difficult games a year, and that they had a great defence (by Portuguese standards at least).

I think the ultimate problem for Marco Silva was that he was never able to get Everton to play from back to front quick enough. I have no doubt that he wanted the side to be more direct than they were, and that Gomes was the one he wanted to effect that.

So, it's going to be very interesting to see what Ancelotti does with a supremely gifted player, who for reasons put forward by the likes of Sam Hoare, might not be as effective as he could be.

I hesitate as I disagree with Sam and I think Gomes is our best midfielder, and is effective and does make the team tick. I still think there is room for improvement though, and that we have not seen the best of him, and hopefully, as Mike C. says, Ancelotti can revolutionise his game like he did with Pirlo's.

I do get the point that perhaps we don't want him protecting the ball and people snapping at his ankles just yet, so easing him in to just keep the ball moving and not to draw many fouls (which is a big part of his game) might be the way forward in the short term.

Anyway you made me laugh over that Newcastle game.

I hope that Gomes progresses in the coming weeks.

please bare his fundraising plight in mind. I'm going to donate when I get back.

Highlights:

– Gomes looks tidy - but he fouls Kean (who looks unimpressed)
– Pickford saved two sitters from Calvert-Lewin
– Iwobi scores
– Don't see much of Schneiderlin or Davies
AND
– Niasse looks like a center-forward!

His recovery has been remarkable and we can only hope that there is no reoccurrence with his ankle. Welcome back, Andre!

I smiled at the cheap free kick he gave away you mention, but I think it's on Baningime rather than Kean.

And Oumar DID look good and scored a fine goal, but can't read too much from such short footage about anyone.

Link

Not bothered about 'Karma' and all that, but more interested in seeing if this helps Everton overhaul them in the Premier League.

Of course we don't get prizes for injuries to other teams players. Only by winning more points than them can we overhaul them

I would somewhat sadly have to agree with Sam Hoare (#34) that we need more athleticism in the middle, I would like to see us try and build a side capable of going head to head with Liverpool and I am not sure where Gomes would fit into this. I have always felt he gives away too many free-kicks in dangerous areas and like Sigurdsson seems 'stuck in glue' when tracking back.

Gomes is a lovely footballer and very easy on the eye but I feel that, unless we strengthen all around him, that he is not the future or at least not what we need to go forward medium term.

Great news that Gomes is back and hopefully, like a number of other players, he will benefit from Ancelotti's man-management and tactical nous and show improvement from where he was before his injury.

A great time to have him back for the last 12 games and a push on a possible European place.

Salmon Pink:
1. GK
2. Cuco Martina
3. Digne
4. Schneiderlin
5. Keane
6. Holgate
7. Kyle John – Chester lad who just turned 19 a few days ago
8. Davies
9. Kean
10. Richarlison
11. Iwobi

Royal Blue
1. Pickford
2. Sidibe
3. Baines
4. Gomes
5. Mina
6. Branthwaite – the 17-year-old January signing
7. Niasse
8. Delph
9. Calvert-Lewin
10. Sigurdsson
11. Bernard
12. Alex Denny – 19-year-old who played for the “first team” in the Cyprus game 2 years ago

Ellis Simms is seen in a Salmon kit but I never saw him make it into the game. Denny came on and I think it must have been Delph who went off and it appeared to happen before half-time as you see Number 12 on the pitch before they walk off and walk back on. Is Delph injured? Or just subbed off?

Jay Wood, sorry mate, Beni Baningime wasn't playing in that training match; he didn't wear 9, he has a beard and short hair. It's interesting that Carlo Ancelotti had Alex Denny and not Beni Baningime as substitute.

We don't get many decent views of the goalie in green but I think it's Stekelenburg. He looks a bit pasty and pale compared to his pictures online... but then he's been shuttered away and has seen very little action for most of the season.

Virginia looks different, and I don't think it can be Tryer or Hansen.