BACK ON THE BOL
Yannick’s desperate to make up for lost time after knee injury hell
There are times you don’t know when the end of the road is coming
YANNICK BOLASIE admits his knee injury was career threatening, but says he now feels “incredible”.
Everton’s £20million winger started his first game in a year in the goalless draw at West Brom on Boxing Day.
The ex-Crystal Palace ace played 61 minutes on his return from a nightmare injury sustained last December – just 16 games into his Goodison Park career.
The DR Congo ace limped out of the 1-1 draw with Manchester United after colliding with Anthony Martial.
He required two knee operations to fix a torn meniscus and cruciate ligament, and could not bring himself to watch live football until the final home game of last season.
But after returning at the Hawthorns, Bolasie, 28, said: “It’s been a long old wait. I didn’t want to come back and just have my name on the shirt, and not be the same kind of player.
“But I feel that, with a bit more match sharpness, I will be probably even better.
“It’s a fresh start for myself. When I came to Everton, I didn’t really have a pre-season and wasn’t fit, so there was a lot of catch-up. But now I hope to kick on and show what I’m about.
“With this injury, I have played it down all the way, but it was career threatening, so for me to be back where I am, and how I’m feeling, is incredible.
“I had two separate operations on my leg and just want to really thank my family, team-mates, and the staff, as well as my personal physio Rayan Wilson, for the position I’m back in.
“There are times when you don’t know when the end of the road is coming, or when you’re going to be back training, it’s hard to see.”
Bolasie had played just two Under-23 games before Everton boss Sam Allardyce gave him a shock call-up.
He said: “It came as a surprise – I didn’t expect it, but I have been preparing for this moment, and was just happy to be out there on the field trying to help the team get a win.
“It still hasn’t hit me. It might take a couple of games. I don’t know when I’m going to sit down and think to myself, ‘You’re back, Yann’. I am chuffed.”
The draw means Everton are now unbeaten in eight games.
Allardyce, who previously bossed Palace, inherited a side which had conceded 25 goals in eight games, but has now let in just two in eight.
Bolasie added: “He’s got us defending much better and now it’s about the transition and how we want to play forwards.”