Sam Allardyce has said that he is hopeful midfielder James McCarthy will recover from injury in time to play a part in Everton's pre-season programme.
The Republic of Ireland international suffered a horrific double leg break in the second half of the Toffees' 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion in January.
McCarthy underwent successful surgery a few days later, but it was unknown how long he was facing out with his latest long-term injury problem.
Providing an update to Everton's official website, Allardyce has hinted that the 27-year-old could yet be back in action come the start of 2018-19.
"It is down to the specialist and them saying if and when James can start moving forward," he said. "The specialist will guide us on how far we can go and with a bit of luck we can look forward to James starting the next pre-season with us.
"He has had some time back at home. He will probably rejoin us in the next few days on a regular basis to start getting some mobility into his ankle, particularly because it has been in a set position for such a long time."
McCarthy was making just his fourth Premier League appearance of the season when he suffered the injury in a collision with Salomon Rondon.
