Roberto Martínez has said Leighton Baines’ confidence needs to be restored before the England international can make his competitive comeback for Everton.
Baines has been sidelined since May by an ankle injury that required two operations, one to address a long-standing ligament problem and the second when the repair work snapped in training days before the new Premier League season.
The 30-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation in recent weeks and had a second run-out on Sunday when he played 45 minutes for Everton Under-21s against Porto B in the Premier League International Cup. But, before Everton’s visit to Bournemouth on Saturday, Martínez admitted the defender may not be handed a competitive return until he has proven his confidence in a challenge.
Martínez, who has no pressing need to rush Baines because of the impressive form of the 19-year-old Brendan Galloway, said: “Physically Leighton is fine from a medical point of view. Now it’s about giving him the right sort of introduction.
“More than anything it’s about confidence, about going into a 50-50 challenge without being fearful because of the way he got the [second] injury by blocking a ball, not stretching. It’s about preparing his body to be physically strong, but it is great to see him back in training. We will make a decision tomorrow. It’s about giving him exactly what he needs, not rushing him back and losing him for the rest of the campaign. We can use his freshness and experience for the rest of the season.”
Martínez said Everton had “the strongest squad we’ve had for a long time, so let’s see how far we can take it” and cited the outstanding form of the Spanish winger Gerard Deulofeu as integral to the team’s prospects.
He added: “We all know the incredible world-class talent he has. The judgment of how good he can be needs to be done after 300 games. Now he is showing the determination to be as good as he can be and when you have that attitude you get what he is producing on the pitch.
“He looks free, he looks happy, there is a real chemistry with our fans and a player like that needs that feeling to perform. I’m delighted with Gerard but he’s still a young man in his early Everton career.”
