Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman insisted that there are no psychological effects from his leg-break after playing an hour on his comeback for the Everton Under-23s side.
The Donegal man was withdrawn in the second half of the Toffees' 3-0 win over Portsmouth in their Premier League Cup tie at Goodison Park, the first time he has played since suffering the horrific injury on international duty last March.
A crunching tackle 20 minutes into the contest was an indicator that the full-back was ready to be thrust into action.
"I knew tackles and things like that were never going to be a bother"
"That was more for me than it was the young lad!" he told Everton's club website. "I just told him that at the time as well and he was fine with it.
"I knew tackles and things like that were never going to be a bother. That one was more for the few fans that were here that there are no psychological affects."
The 29-year-old has been back training with the first team in recent weeks, following a sustained period of recuperation, and was delighted to finally get back onto the pitch.
🔵 | Seamus Coleman on why his return from injury was such a special moment...https://t.co/eBKBeMBtGt pic.twitter.com/hTu5vEOyZs
— Everton (@Everton) January 24, 2018
"I enjoyed the game. It was great for it to be here at Goodison Park– it made it that little bit more special. They tried to change the game when I could be involved and thankfully they have been able to do it.
"To be able to walk out the tunnel and see the stadium was great. I managed to get some minutes under my belt and that was fantastic. I treated it like a first team game and gave it everything.
"I’ve been looking forward to that moment for the last few months – just being able to get the kit on, doing up the shin-pads, rolling my socks up and walking out there. It was great to be able to feel like a footballer again – it’s a fantastic feeling."
