He's done a few weeks in rehab and got some things out in the open. There may be more, there may not be and it's not really something any of us are entitled to know. But at the moment these are still the first steps on what hopefully turns out to be the road to recovery but that road may well be longer than the remaining year of his contract.
Hopefully we see the old player again, maybe even better, and if it takes longer to happen than his remaining time at Everton then that's equally great. I'm not entirely comfortable with a few of the shouts about what he might do this coming season. It can inadvertently create a low level expectancy of someone who needs no pressure on him for reasons a lot more important than football.
Aye, I appreciate that. Personally, it’s less to do with an expectancy and instead a genuine and heartfelt hope he can get back to loving the game again.
Yes, we’ll benefit from that, but in all sincerity I hope it’s for his sake. Like I mentioned, there’ll be bumps in the road and it’s only the start of his journey…
… but maybe football can rekindle his love for himself and be an outlet - exercise and setting aims and goals.
To another point, I hope the person who abused him faces the full force of the law, and more!