Sunday 26 October 2014 09:21, UK
Roberto Martinez has praised defender Sylvain Distin, who the Everton manager says is 'completely rejuvenated' following his spell on the sidelines.
The Frenchman has played almost 200 games for the Toffees since joining in 2009 but Thursday's appearance in the Europa League against Lille was his first outing for a month.
The 36-year-old could make his Premier League return this weekend and Martinez says Distin is looking good again: "He showed he's refreshed, that he's ready to embrace the challenge he has ahead of him.
“There's really good competition for that centre-half role but I thought he was fantastic.
"He had a really good partnership with Phil Jagielka, they had to cope with a real threat from Lille and I thought he was back to his normal self.
"Every player needs recovery time. Sometimes it's so demanding day after day, and Sylvain is a model professional.
“He's someone that will spend sometimes too long working on his game and working on his body.
"When you see the amount of games that's he's played and he's never had a break, sometimes you need a mental break more than a physical break.
"You saw him excited about being on the pitch and you wouldn't want to see a player feeling it's a chore being on the football pitch. I think at times that's the way it felt early in the season, and that's unfair on Sylvain.
"I loved his performance with a big smile and a real defensive intensity and it's great to see him with that important role back in our side."
As for the injured Kevin Mirallas, who pulled a hamstring during last month's Merseyside derby at Anfield, the Belgian may not return until mid-November at the earliest.
Martinez added: "He's a sprinter and we need to be careful with those types of injuries and make sure we don't rush him back.
"The signs are very positive, he's working really well, and hopefully after the next international break we'll have a clear idea when he'll be back."
