Everton’s Andre Gomes has admitted he punched former assistant manager Luis Boa Morte when he suffered his ankle injury against Tottenham.
The Portugal midfielder suffered a fracture-dislocation against Spurs back in November when he went down under a combined challenge from Son Heung-min and Serge Aurier.
As with any dislocation or break it was clear from the offset than the injury was a bad one, with fans and players alike left watching as Gomes writhed around in agony on the pitch.
One of the first on the scene to help the Blues star was Boa Morte, which unfortunately meant he was the recipient of Gomes’ reaction to the injury.
“The doctor had to put my foot in place so that I wouldn’t continue with pain for the next few minutes,” he told Record, after they stated ‘You punched Luis?’.
“Luis was one of the first to take to the field to try to calm me down, but I was out of my mind and a bit aggressive.
“He suffered a bit [laughs], but then we gave him some brave hugs after my operation. He was very important to me.”
Everton fans, in particular, were keen to show they were behind him, inundating the midfielder with their support and well wishes from all corners of the globe.
It’s something Gomes insists he is hugely grateful for, admitting that he has kept every message, in whatever form, because they helped provide the motivation for him to make his comeback.
“I can’t explain it in words… It was brutal, and I am very grateful to everyone,” headed.
“I’ve received messages, phone calls, letters from all over the world. I did not expect this.
“I received messages from teammates, former football players, former teammates, people I didn’t know. It gave me spectacular motivation and confidence.
“I’ve got all the letters saved, but I can’t tell you how many. It’s thousands.
“I don’t want to list it because it was a lot of people, and I’m really grateful to everyone because everyone was part of my motivation to play again.”
