Sam Allardyce admitted that he was wrong to doubt Seamus Coleman as the defender was fit enough to run in the final moments of Everton’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
The Toffees boss revealed that he was concerned about whether Coleman could play the whole game as it was his first game back after spending 10 months out with a broken leg.
However, the 29-year-old played the whole game on Wednesday and had his manager confessing that the player was right and he was wrong.
“Bearing in mind Seamus has been out for 10 months, to be as fit as that is really impressive, and what about that run at the end?” said Allardyce, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“It was a very important win for us today, and him coming back is a great boost, he’ll be dead on his feet tomorrow.
“I spoke to him at half time and told him to play with his head, if you feel yourself fatiguing, give us a wave and we can bring Jonjoe [Kenny] on.
“But when you see him still running forward at the end, he showed that he was right and I was wrong!”
Coleman broke his leg while on international duty for Republic of Ireland in April, and his return helped Everton win their first game since December 18.
Allardyce revealed that despite the right-back making a spectacular return, he might not feature against Arsenal on Saturday.
“With Arsenal coming up so quick, he’ll want to play but I’m not so sure that will be right for us,” stated Allardyce.
“We’ll have a look and see how he recovers.”
OPINION
Coleman certainly returned to the team in style and grabbed everyone’s attention even though his teammate Theo Walcott grabbed a brace. The 29-year-old would have been missed more this season if Kenny hadn’t been able to step up in his absence. However, Coleman looks like he ready to knock the youngster straight out of the first-team and pick up where he left off. Allardyce was right to be impressed by the defender’s ability to complete 90 minutes, as it seems inhuman that he was able to get back up to speed so quickly. Although Allardyce is probably right and Coleman will no doubt be feeling the effects of playing Premier League football on Thursday. While it’s tempting, the Toffees boss would be wise to rest the Republic of Ireland international against Arsenal.