Everton are set to see former physio Mick Rathbone return to Goodison Park after eight years away as he rejoins the club in a role helping support the development of youth players, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper claim on their website that the 60-year-old, who spent eight years at the club after joining back in 2002, will return to work with David Unsworth at the youth academy in a new senior role.
Rathbone is said to be a very popular figure at Goodison Park and was described by David Moyes as his “best ever signing… without a doubt” while in charge at the Toffees.
Opinion
Everton fans are brilliantly loyal to those who have served them well and it seems that they are not forgetting the work that Rathbone did during his first stint on Merseyside. Having someone who really knows the club inside out should be a major boost to the workings behind the scenes, although he is likely going to be shocked at the difference from when he was last part of the team at Goodison. Working alongside David Unsworth as part of the youth system, the Toffees know they have two very capable figures helping develop their young talents and with both having spent plenty of time at the club, they will instil not only their knowledge but their passion and ethos for the Toffees onto the next generation. The difference might not be noticeable straight away, but a man of Rathbone’s expertise should help the youngster’s fitness and health thus helping avoid injuries both at this early stage of their careers as well as further down the line, when they will be hoping to be turning out for the senior Toffees’ side.