Dan Gosling to return for Everton sooner than expected

Everton's Dan Gosling will be back in action sooner than initially expected after successful surgery on his knee.

The England Under-21 midfielder was forecast to be out for nine months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at Wolves in March.

But assistant manager Steve Round said: "There was less damage than we first thought so that was a positive.

"The surgery went really well. We are very pleased with his progress so far but it is going to be a long haul."

Gosling had only been on the field a few minutes after coming on as an 83rd-minute substitution when he collided with Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann while attempting to score a winner in the 0-0 draw at Molineux on 27 March.

The results of a scan at the time prompted Everton's medical staff to predict a nine-month lay-off, while Toffees boss David Moyes commented that the club's "worst fears" had been confirmed.

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The 20-year-old will still miss the start of next season, however the revised prognosis will greatly please Moyes after some eye-catching performances last term from the versatile star, who can also play at right-back.

The former Plymouth player featured 20 times for the Toffees, chipping in with three goals - one of those to put the Merseysiders in front during an eventual 3-1 win over Manchester United at Goodison Park in February.