Seamus Coleman made his return to football yesterday and he looked like he'd never been away.
The right-back has been sidelined since March 2017 after suffering a horrible double-leg break following an ill-timed challenge from Wales left-back Neil Taylor and it's been a long, arduous road to recovery for him.
But the Irishman was back on the pitch at Goodison Park last night, playing 58 minutes of a 3-0 win for Everton Under 23's against Portsmouth.
Given the severity of his injury, one would completely understand if Coleman had eased himself back into the game.
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However, clearly that is not in the 29-year old's nature and he marked his return with a committed 50-50 challenge that was very impressive to say he had been out for ten months - and suffered a horror injury the last time he went after a loose ball.
He's showed some serious guts! there!
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Coleman was unsurprisingly buzzing about his comeback and says he feels like a footballer again.
"To be able to walk out of the tunnel and see the stadium was great," he told the Everton website.
"I managed to get some minutes under my belt and that was fantastic. I treated it like a first-team game and gave it everything.
I've been looking forward to that moment for the last few months - just being able to get the kit on, doing up the shin-pads, rolling my socks up and walking out there. It was great to be able to feel like a footballer again - it's a fantastic feeling."
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On the strong challenge he made early on, he said:
"I knew tackles and things like that were never going to be a bother. That one was more for the few fans that were here (to show) that there are no psychological effects."
Here's hoping Coleman is back playing first-team football very soon - and that he can show his club and international colleague James McCarthy there is a way back from such a lengthy lay-off.
Featured Image Credit:Topics:ย Ireland, International Football, Premier League, Everton, Wales
