Coleman made his return in an under-23 fixture against Portsmouth last night

There were no flashbacks for Séamus Coleman as James McCarthy lay stricken on the pitch at Goodison Park last weekend; the memories of his own gruesome double leg break remained locked away rather than rushing to the forefront of his psyche.

Coleman’s instinct at seeing his “best friend in football” with his right leg bent awkwardly, the tibia and fibula both snapped, was to vacate his seat in the directors’ box and make his way down towards the dressing room in order to try and offer some comfort.

But instead of harking back to the injury nightmare he endured, the Everton right back was already looking forward.

Coleman suffered the injury while on international duty with Ireland NIALL CARSON/PA WIRE

Coleman was three days away from his own comeback and the 59-minute run out he duly completed for