Season › 2017-18 › News Funes Mori poised for Everton recall Lyndon Lloyd Wednesday, 28 February, 2018 23comments | Jump to most recent Ramiro Funes Mori credits mental resilience and family support for helping him through his long absence with a serious knee injury. The Argentine defender is finally closing on a return to Everton's match-day squad following two surgeries to correct a meniscus tear he suffered on international duty 10 months ago. Having come through two outings with the Under-23s and trained with the first team for the last few weeks, Funes Mori is ready to battle for a place in the starting XI as he bids to prove he is worthy of a place in his country's squad for the World Cup this summer. “It's difficult, being iÂnjured for a long time,” he said in The Mirror. “It's tough but I had support from my Âfamily and I'm very strong mentally. Article continues below video content “I'm very happy to be fully fit, and I'm Âlooking Âforward to joining the team. “It's difficult when you're injured and a new manager comes in,” he continued in reference to Sam Allardyce who succeeded Ronald Koeman as Everton boss last November. “It's tough because you want to show what you can give to the team and to the club. “But he knows every player, I think he has given opportunities to every injured player that's come back so I am waiting for that opportunity also. “Of course I'm thinking about the World Cup but I'll have to play for Everton in order to do that. “I'm just happy to have recovered from the injury but I need to be fit to prove that I can play.” Funes Mori's prospects of working his way back into the side will, no doubt, be enhanced by the fact that he is a rarity in the Everton squad — a naturally left-footed defender. Eliaquim Mangala, signed on loan from Manchester City on transfer deadline day to add another option on the left side of defence, made just two starts before picking up a knee problem that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Reader Comments (23) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Brian Porter 1 Posted 28/02/2018 at 07:22:30 Funes Mori has to be a vast improvement on Williams, Jagielka and Keane. A regular for Argentina before his injury, he will be playing for a place in the Argentine World Cup squad. For God's sake Allardyce, use him! No more farting around with over-the-hill Williams and Co. He could just be the saviour of our defence for the remainder of the season. Jim Bennings 2 Posted 28/02/2018 at 08:01:16 Martinez could have done more with the money that Koeman has pissed away and Allardyce has paid 㿇 million on a striker that can't play as lone attacker. Paul Kennedy 3 Posted 28/02/2018 at 08:05:46 We need to face it, we are a very very poor team with some absolutely staggeringly bad decision-makers running our club. We need to survive the drop then rip the back out of the bunch of underachievers who have the nerve to disgrace our club and supporters. Hang in – it is a long and rocky road ahead. David Ellis 4 Posted 28/02/2018 at 08:06:24 Surely he'll come in as left back until Baines is fit again. And then perhaps replace Williams or Jagielka as the left centre-back. I really hope he comes back a better player than I re-call. Like many, his reputation tends to increase when he's not playing. But I kind of like him. Jim Bennings 5 Posted 28/02/2018 at 08:41:10 He was never a great defender, nor was he ever a terrible one either. I think Funes Mori suffered when Stones partnered him because a young inexperienced John Stones took too many stupid risks.Give Funes Mori his due, he is the one defender we have that attacks corners and set pieces pretty well. Robert Leigh 6 Posted 28/02/2018 at 09:29:52 David Ellis (#4).I imagine you're correct, but given the extra work a left back has to do in getting up and down the wing, I'd be worried that he'd be injured inside the first half of his first start.Quite often, players suffer hamstring injuries when coming back from a knee injury, I'd assume he'd be less likely to do this playing at left center-back than at left-back. Personally, I'd like to see him partner Holgate in defense until the end of the season, with Martina or Baines at left back and Seamus or Kenny at right back. I've given up on the hope that Garbutt will get a game ahead of Martina! Sean Makin 7 Posted 28/02/2018 at 09:47:47 If someone thinks this guy will be our saviour, think again. If Big Sam and his stats team look at his figures, they would be better off putting Rooney at centre-half! Jim Bennings 8 Posted 28/02/2018 at 10:31:19 Garbutt must be utter shite if we have to continue playing a third-choice right-back at left-back. Ajay Gopal 9 Posted 28/02/2018 at 11:25:13 Keane is slowly playing himself into form. Hopefully, Sam will be able to choose between Holgate, Keane and Funes Mori, with Jagielka and Williams as fall backs. Next seaon, Browning and Pennington will be back from their loans. Brian Murray 10 Posted 28/02/2018 at 12:31:51 Sadly Funes Mori, like Baines, has become a better player while not playing. Holgate and Keane have to be the way forward, plus Garbutt, or search this apparently tiny planet for two left-backs that Walsh can't find anywhere. Dale Rose 11 Posted 28/02/2018 at 12:39:20 Glad he is coming back, good defender and will get you a goal as well. At least he has some heart and loves the club. Tony J Williams 12 Posted 28/02/2018 at 12:55:33 Get him in the side and hopefully we can get a run of games with a settled back four.Once they start playing and understanding each other as a unit, hopefully it will shore up the leaky defence.Just hope his operation allows him to clear the ball farther than his usual 20 yards. Minik Hansen 13 Posted 28/02/2018 at 12:57:21 He will do better than Mangala did. Peter Cummings 14 Posted 28/02/2018 at 14:26:21 Along with the return of Seamus, this is good news for the defence. Although Funes Mori can sometimes be frustrating, he can be a goalscorer as a 100-percenter in the Tom Davies mould, who never shirks a challenge. These are players who we sorely need to keep us in the Premier League. Now, if we can only get a manager who can motivate the rest of those who need a kick up their rear ends, we can dare to hope next season. Eric Paul 15 Posted 28/02/2018 at 15:44:50 Daniel Passarella says he should be Argentina's captain; that's good enough for me. Barry Pearce 16 Posted 28/02/2018 at 16:56:28 Can't argue with that, Paul (#3). Roger Helm 17 Posted 28/02/2018 at 17:23:42 I think any two of him, Holgate and Keane will make a good partnership. None are perfect, but Jagielka is past it and Williams is too small and makes too many mistakes. His return is good news in my book. Bobby Mallon 18 Posted 28/02/2018 at 20:59:54 David Ellis @4, he was a top player before his injury. He scored goals also; please don't bring up the Liverpool away game – the whole team where gash. He was great against Chelsea away when he had his bandage dragged off his head in the crowd. 😂 Mike Gaynes 19 Posted 28/02/2018 at 00:15:52 Brian (#10), I guess you and I were the only ones here paying attention during his previous 51 appearances, because there is nothing in Funes Mori's return to be excited about, just as there has been nothing in his play to be excited about. Ajay (#9), even at his advanced age, Jagielka is still a much better player than this guy. And Browning won't be back... he's been dropped for poor form by a Sunderland side that's about to be relegated again. He'll be free transferred to a League One side somewhere.And Eric (#15), you and Passarella are on the same island by yourselves in thinking Funes Mori's flimsy, undistinguished Argentina record (6 yellows in 10 World Cup Qualifiers!) has earned him Messi's armband. John Pierce 20 Posted 01/03/2018 at 00:21:43 Ding Ding! Mike, spot on. One flaming liability this lad. Rash, and very limited on the ball. Often only in the side to give it a left-footed balance. Argentina's defensively are moribund that's the only reason he gets a game. Might sell well though because he's a good age, and has a good personal brand. Bye bye, Funes Mori. Eric Paul 21 Posted 01/03/2018 at 14:52:44 Mike, I didn't say that, but I think a World Cup winning captain who himself was a central defender knows a little bit about defenders. Jim Hardin 22 Posted 01/03/2018 at 16:35:45 John, Argentina's problems in World Cup qualifying were not so much the defense but rather that without Messi, they had trouble scoring. They were in the bottom four out of the ten in goals scored but second in fewest goals allowed behind Brazil. George Stuart 23 Posted 04/03/2018 at 05:09:51 Mori or Williams in the next game? Williams must have fancied a day off.Brian Murray [#10] Made me laf.Walsh is being paid a reported £1 million and he can't find a left footed left back. Ha ha. I don't get to watch a lot but I reckon two weeks watching every Premier League game and Championship game and I reckon I'd have a short list of six and two crackers. ٣ the bunch. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads