'No date set' for Yannick Bolasie's comeback ahead of Everton training reintegration

Everton attacker Yannick Bolasie admits he does not know when he will play for the beleaguered Toffees again but is scheduled to return to first-team training on Monday (13 November).

Bolasie, 28, suffered a serious knee ligament injury in December last year and was expected to be out for 12 months due to the severity of the damage sustained. The former Crystal Palace forward, who became one of Everton's most expensive-ever signings when he joined from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, is still very much missed by David Unsworth's side, who are in desperate need of an injection of pace in the offensive areas.

Everton interim boss Unsworth recently said that Bolasie, along with fellow injury victims Seamus Coleman and Ramiro Funes Mori, is still "months" away from making a return, and the player is understandably proceeding with caution as he bids to ensure that he is firing on all cylinders when he finally kick-starts his career.

"I haven't set a date yet for that return. I can't really say right now," Bolasie told Sky Sports.

"I'm back in on Monday at Everton. I'm probably going to be integrated with the team then, but comeback I don't know. I want to make sure I'm feeling good. It's not just my name on my shirt on the pitch; I want to make sure it's me."

Everton will hope that Bolasie is able to hit the ground running and drag them away from the relegation zone, where they have resided for much of the campaign so far. They managed to lift themselves out of the bottom three with a hard-fought win over Watford on Sunday, and Bolasie is hoping that victory over the Hornets will prove to be the catalyst for a revival.

"100 per cent we needed that [victory over Watford]," Bolasie said. "It takes us out the bottom three and we can start looking up. Unfortunately with the way the season's gone it's not been the best for us, but hopefully we can start picking up from now."

A raft of attackers have arrived at Everton while Bolasie has been on the sidelines, and the Merseysiders seem intent on adding another to their roster in the January transfer window. An esteemed centre-forward is of the utmost importance, but the Toffees are also tracking young Norwich City attacker James Maddison, according to ESPN.

The former Aberdeen loanee, who operates as a No.10, has scored four times and provided five assists for Daniel Farke's side, and was recently watched by Everton's director of football Steve Walsh, who has come in for criticism over the Merseysiders' summer spending spree.

Maddison has three-and-a-half years left on his current contract with Norwich, who currently lie 13th in the Championship.