Kilbane ankle op proves successful

Ireland and Everton midfielder Kevin Kilbane has had a successful operation to cure the ankle problem that forced him to miss the end of last season.

Kilbane went under the knife last night and Everton club physio Mick Rathbone revealed the operation “went well”.

The Republic of Ireland international will be recovering for up to six weeks and is on crutches but he is expected to be fit for pre-season training.

Rathbone said: “Everything went well for Kevin. The surgeon removed a piece of bone from his ankle and we are hopeful that this will now sort the problem out.”

Kilbane, who missed the final three fixtures of the season, now faces a few days of complete rest before further assessment is made.

Rathbone said: “Kevin is on crutches for a couple of days and we will review everything on Monday morning. We are confident that he will be there or thereabouts when the pre-season training starts.

“Every time he struck the ball he was getting discomfort. We have allowed him five weeks’ rest but it did not settle down and now a small piece of bone has been removed from the ankle joint.”