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LEIGHTON BAINES has handed Everton a major injury boost – with the news that he is ready for a return to action in Everton’s pre-season trip to Scotland.

And he will be joined for the two-match trip North of the border by Bryan Oviedo.

Enormously influential England left-back Baines missed the end of last season with an ankle injury.

He has been rehabilitating all summer, but a return to action at either Hearts on Sunday or Dundee next Tuesday is ahead of schedule.

Oviedo sustained a hamstring injury against Young Boys in February, but just as he was anticipating a return to first team action broke his foot in a training ground accident.

Manager Roberto Martinez said: “We have got some very exciting new with Bryan Oviedo and Leighton Baines joining the group for Scotland. We now need to measure their playing time to ensure they keep progressing.

“They are raring to go as you can imagine. They are two pristine professionals and they are a similar profile of player, so they have been helping each other with their work. They are full of energy and desperate to join the group.”

Everton will be without Gerard Deulofeu in Scotland but the Spaniard is on track to be fit for the start of the Premier League season on 8 August.

“He felt his hamstring in the game against Arsenal,” added Martinez. “It’s not a real concern, it’s an injury that I don’t think will stop him starting the league campaign.

“His physicality is that he is a sprinter and we need to make sure he is fully recovered before he is back on the pitch.

“He has put in a huge amount of work in pre-season. It is a little bit of a setback but we will work to make sure he is back as soon as he can be.”

Darron Gibson and Aiden McGeady will continue their recovery from respective foot and hamstring problems alongside Deulofeu on Merseyside.