Everton player to train with first-team for first time next week at Finch Farm

Sean Dyche has revealed Armando Broja is nearing a return to fitness ahead of his long-awaited Everton bow.

The 23-year-old has been nursing a long-term Achilles injury since his deadline-day arrival from Chelsea but supporters may not have to wait much longer to see their new man in action.

Everton will travel to Southampton on Saturday [2 November], Dyche took to his pre-match press conference on Thursday [31 October] and delivered the update that all Evertonians have been waiting to hear.

He said: “Yeah, he’s back, he’s working hard, his stats are good, but he’s still with the Sports Science team.

“The crossover will start to occur maybe even next week, where he’ll just start with the light stuff with us, join warm-ups and possession games, and then build into a kind of journey back to playing.

“But he’s been out a fair while, so he will have to have some games.”

Armando Broja nearing his long-awaited Everton debut

Everton are now in a position wherein the fear of relegation is no longer at the forefront of thinking at Goodison Park with Southampton among Wolves and Ipswich Town in the drop zone and still winless in the league.

However, the penalty shootout victory the Saints claimed over the Blues in the Carabao Cup is still in the back of the mind heading into St Mary’s, with the visitors surprisingly not the favourites to claim the three points despite already trouncing winless opposition in the 2-0 win against Ipswich.

Dyche still has cause for concern for his side amid the six-match unbeaten run, as the goals have dried up somewhat with the Toffees relying on a 94th-minute equaliser courtesy of Beto to salvage a 1-1 draw against Fulham last weekend.

That said, the Portuguese forward remains on the fringes at Goodison Park, and the club is widely expected to sanction a January departure.

Broja enjoyed his most prolific Premier League form while on loan at the Saints, while his move to Fulham proved to be a resounding failure, the Albanian can provide stiff competition to Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has struggled with inconsistent form this year.

Calvert-Lewin is determined to etch his name into history at Everton but Broja can ensure that dream remains a dream if he hits the ground running in the way the club expects of him at Goodison Park.

Competition for places has been lacking at the Toffees in recent years and the supporters can now get excited at the prospect of three quality forwards fighting for one starting spot.

In other Everton news, Alan Brazil slams the Blues on talkSPORT, sharing his new Premier League relegation verdict.

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