Silva: Gomes has chance of making comeback before season is out

Everton boss Marco Silva has said that he is hopeful that midfielder Andre Gomes could yet play again this season following the tackle that saw him suffer a serious ankle injury.

The 26-year-old Portuguese is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a fractured dislocation of his ankle in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Tottenham at Goodison Park.

However, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s trip to Southampton, Silva said he has not given up hope of having Gomes back at his disposal before the end of the campaign.

It’s not easy for us to give a sure date about when he will return,” the manager said. “What’s in our mind and the feedback I have from our medical staff is that it’s possible we will see Andre playing again this season.

“Of course, when first we saw that moment and it’s a really serious injury, but after the surgery and after all the examinations they did, everything went really well and we hope we can see again Andre playing this season.

“Of course, it’s not something we are 100 percent sure about, but we have good possibilities to do that.”

Read more: Son: Lack of goal celebrations out of ‘respect’ for Andre Gomes

Asked if there had been an apology, Silva added: “Yes, I think he received a text message or something like that from Son [Heung-min].

“Of course that was a tougher moment for Andre, for sure, than all the others on the pitch. The toughest moment was for Andre, but of course for the two players who were involved, first Son and after, [Serge] Aurier, it was really tough as well.

“But now is a moment for us to understand the situation and most importantly, to give Andre all the support he needs at this moment.”

Everton sit 17th in the Premier League table, three points above the relegation zone heading into the weekend’s action.