Gibson on the way back

The Derry man, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland in September, may return to full training soon.

Gibson’s return would be a massive boost for the Toffee men, who face Arsenal this Sunday, in their quest for a Champions League spot.

“Darron is working well and is going to join the group very soon,” stated Martinez.

“Then it’s about seeing how he can adapt to the demands of working with the group.

“He is out on the grass, though he hasn’t joined in with the group yet. That’s not going to be too far away with how he is recovering.

“The one-to-one work is showing really well and I don’t think he is going to be too far away from joining in with the group, which is a real success in itself.”

The Spaniard also confirmed that the former Manchester United man has shown great character and is ahead of schedule.

“He is well ahead of schedule and that always pleases me, to see a player get ahead of the timing because it shows all the hard work they put in behind the scenes when nobody is watching,” the Everton boss said.

“The desire of Darron has been sensational in that respect and to have him around the place is a great sign.

“It will be great for him to be involved one way or another before the season ends, even though that would be an incredible and remarkable achievement since looking back on when the injury happened with the national team.”