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| Leighton Baines is yet to feature for Everton this season |
ROBERTO MARTINEZ has said Everton must rebuild Leighton Baines’ confidence as the left-back closes in on a return from injury.
The Everton manager admitted that the next step for Baines was mental, as opposed to physical, following six months out after undergoing two separate ankle operations.
Baines played 90-minutes in a behind-closed-doors game against Preston during the recent international break and also played 45-minutes for the U21s against Porto in the Premier League International Cup last Sunday in a midfield role.
He is expected to be included in the squad for Saturday’s trip to struggling Bournemouth and Martinez said: “Physically he 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 50-50 challenge without being fearful because of the way he got the injury by blocking a ball.
“It’s about preparing his body to be physically strong, but it is great to see him back in training.
“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.”
The England international has not played for the first team since featuring against Sunderland on May 9. He snapped his ankle ligaments when blocking a ball in training and had to undergo extensive repair work – only to suffer the same injury on the eve of the new season.
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