Source: Liverpool_Echo
Mikel Arteta 'weeks not months' away from Everton FC comeback
MIKEL ARTETA is closing in on his long-awaited Everton return.
Head physio Mick Rathbone revealed the midfielder is 'weeks not months' away from making a full recovery from his ruptured cruciate knee ligament.
The Spaniard has not played since February, when he sustained the injury in the Blues' 0-0 draw with Newcastle at St James' Park.
Arteta had an operation in Barcelona and was originally scheduled to be out for six months.
But he suffered a minor setback in his recovery earlier this month when a slip in training aggravated a problem with his cartilage to send him back to the operating table.
But Rathbone has now revealed that the recuperation from that fresh injury scare is bang on target.
He said: 'Mikel has had the stitches removed. A bit of the meniscus came free but he seems fine.
'He is only seven-and-a-bit months post-op so you've got to be careful because these injuries take a long time to come back from.
