Mason Holgate has handed Everton a boost by returning to training.
The defender has missed the Blues' opening nine games of the season because of the toe injury he sustained in the squad's final warm-up game of pre-season against Preston North End.
Everton had been reluctant to put a timeframe on Holgate's recovery but he has, so far, been out of action for over seven weeks.
But the 23-year-old is now back on the pitches at Finch Farm as manager Carlo Ancelotti slowly starts to see the squad's injury list begin to clear, although it is not yet clear how quickly he will be back in contention to play.
Taking to Instagram tonight, Holgate posted a video of himself running with a ball and said: "Good to be back on the grass".
Jarrad Branthwaite is also back in training after his ankle problem while Jean-Philippe Gbamin is scheduled to start working with the Everton squad soon.
Seamus Coleman's hamstring issue kept him out of the game with Southampton, but it was described as not as too serious, while Jonjoe Kenny will be hopeful of being fit enough to be in the mix for Sunday's trip to Newcastle United.
Cenk Tosun (knee) continues to work individually but the club have not offered any recent update on the Turkey striker beyond that.
The only fresh injury worry to concern Ancelotti was the sight of James Rodriguez holding his left hamstring late on in the game with Southampton.
But the Everton manager felt it would not be a "big problem".
