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Yerry Mina has revealed the sight of the stricken Andre Gomes brought him to tears on the night his "brother" suffered his horror ankle injury.

And so the Everton defender was overjoyed to see his close friend return to action yesterday at Arsenal, just 112 days after he sustained the fracture dislocation, which had looked like ending his season.

Mina has paid tribute to the speed with which Gomes has recovered from that November game against Spurs to be back playing competitively for the Blues.

And he believes the midfielder's excellent 30 minute cameo in Sunday's 3-2 defeat will act as a "huge confidence" boost for the rest of the season.

Mina, who visited Gomes regularly during his rehabilitation, is now backing the 26-year-old to be better than he was before the injury struck.

"I am very, very happy for him," he said.

"I know what a tough moment he was going through because I spent a lot of time, while he was out, with him. I know how hard he has worked and he is a real friend of mine, and a mate within the game.

"We all know what ability he has got, he's a great footballer, so it is fantastic he's back and let's hope, between now and the end of the season, he can really make his mark, like he was doing before the injury."

Gomes' recovery has defied the odds with the initial hopes being he could play again before the end of the season.

But after being brought off the bench in the second-half at the Emirates Stadium yesterday, the £22m man is expected to play a big part in the final 11 games.

"It's all to do with that mentality, that strong focus and mentality he's got as an individual and a professional," Mina said.

"Ever since I've known him as a footballer he has shown those characteristics, all the time. As a person, he set his stall out early on and only looked forward at every stage of his rehab and recuperation. We know what a key player he is for us and we need those qualities he displayed to come back quickly, out on the field.

"It was a really tough moment for all of us, when we saw him break down in tears.

"I was in bits myself, I was in tears myself, he is like a brother to me.

"I am really close to him, I see him all the time and so at the start of his injury I went along to see him as often as I could. I went a couple of times to visit him and to spend some time with him.

"Drawing on my own experience of injury, last season, it does make you stronger and he has learnt that he can take positives from it as well. The key is to come out of the other side stronger. It sounds strange but you can get something good out of it, when you come back.

“I know from being out myself, you learn to value many other things in life.”

Mina concluded: "This performance is going to give him a huge confidence boost, coming so soon after this injury. He is going to take real positives from it, given how well he played in his first performance."