Everton Football Club boss David Moyes accepts he must be patient with fit-again Yakubu.

The Nigerian is returning from a lengthy injury lay-off, but Moyes has told the Goodison Park faithful it will be next year before the striker is back to his best.

“Yak is fit, but not back to the level where he was before the injury,” he said. “When you have had a ruptured Achilles, the nine months out was the healing part of it.

“It might take five or six months for Yak to get back to his where he wants to be. If you’ve had a serious injury like he has, then it takes a lot longer to get over it.

“Is he back in and around the squad and bale to do bits of games? Yes, he is. If you can get the ball to Yak in the box we know his history of scoring goals.”

Get all the latest news on your club. Visit 360 Football, the best football news aggregator on the web!