Everton FC?s Phil Jagielka closing in on return after summer lay-off

Phil Jagielka celebrates at Wembley _460 HONEYMOONS are supposed to be idyllic, trips of a lifetime that provided you with an opportunity to forget about everything and unwind. Phil Jagielka's experience, however, was something completely different; while he cherished the opportunity to spend time with his wife, Emily, in Thailand last month, there was a part of him that wished he was elsewhere. With his recovery from a ruptured cruciate ligament going smoothly, Jagielka was given the green light by David Moyes to make the most of the fact that Finch Farm would be all but deserted when Everton's squad headed off on their tour of the US and Canada. Fortunately for Jagielka, his significant other has proven to be a rock throughout this hugely frustrating episode and she understood why there were times during their trip to paradise that his mind drifted to Seattle, Edmonton and Salt Lake City. Happily, though, the new Mrs Jagielka will be relieved to know - as will all Evertonians - that last season's Player of the Year is close to putting the worst moment of his professional career behind him. 'I couldn't go on honeymoon straight after the wedding, as my knee was still pretty bad, so we decided to go when the lads went off on pre-season but it was odd, being away like that, while the others were away training,' said Jagielka. 'I was sending them texts and was on instant messenger all the time while they were in America and there was a part of me that wished I could be there. But I suppose it would have killed me even more, being in America but not being able to do anything. 'Thankfully the wedding gave me something to focus on for the summer. If it had been empty and all I was doing was going into Finch Farm for treatment, sitting with packs of ice on my knee, I'd probably have gone stir crazy. 'But Emily has been amazing through it all. She's had to put up with an awful lot of grumpiness from me and a lot of laziness; she'll tell you that I've probably played on it! It's been hard for her, too, as this is the first time I've been properly injured. 'I've come home with bumps and bruises before but never anything like this when I've been out for such a long period. I'm sure once everything is back normal, I'll thank her properly for what she's done.'

Source: Liverpool_Echo