Everton physio Mick Rathbone admits they're having to reign in Yakubu Aiyegbeni as he continues his recovery from an Achilles injury.

"To say he (Yakubu) is touch and go is a fair assessment," he told evertonfc.com. "He's probably a little bit ahead of schedule and we're pleased with him but it's a big step from being with me to actually starting a game in the Premier League so there's a bit of water to go under the bridge yet.

"He's doing really, really well but obviously he had a really nasty injury. I'm going to London with him tonight to see the consultant who I'm pretty sure will give us the go ahead to get him involved in the final stages of pre-season.

"He's trained really hard during the summer, he's in good shape and I'm really pleased with him."