Everton boss Ronald Koeman says Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo were right to leave for Sunderland last month.
Everton and Sunderland will clash this weekend.
Koeman said: "It's always special for the player [returning]. They took the decision to go to Sunderland for more game time, I think that was a good decision, a good choice for both players.
"They will get a respectful welcome. If they play, OK, they will do everything they can to win the game. There will be no friends during the game, everyone is involved in their own team."