Everton defender Sylvain Distin says the return to full fitness of Darron Gibson is a big boost.

Distin played behind the former Manchester United star as he came through a 63-minute run-out in Sunday's Under-21 game against Reading and was impressed by his colleague's comeback display.

"He hasn't played for a while now, nearly three months, so he did well," he told evertonfc.com. "His passing seems to be sharp so I think he's doing good.

"I think we've missed him. He's really important in our squad and we don't have a big squad, so obviously if we can get a player back that will be beneficial."