Everton FC News: Everton close in on US star Landon Donovan

Dec 10 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Everton FC News: EVERTON are close to agreeing a three-month loan deal for United States international Landon Donovan.

David Moyes has made a move for the 27-year-old striker as he attempts to bolster his forward line in the New Year.

Donovan, who has more than 120 caps for his country, helped LA Galaxy to the MLS Cup final last month where they lost on penalties to Real Salt Lake.

The forward would be available to make the temporary switch to Goodison when the transfer window opens next month.

The deal would be similar to the one David Beckham brokered with AC Milan last January, when Donovan also made a short-term move to European football to Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Seamus Coleman admits he is still “on a high” after his impressive Goodison debut at the weekend.

The 21-year-old came off the bench to have a hand in both goals as Everton fought from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

It was only Coleman’s third appearance for the club, having made his debut in the Europa League defeat at Benfica in October and played in the 1-0 win in Greece against AEK Athens last week in the same competition.

And he said: “I’ll be honest, I was on a high after the game and I’m only just coming off that cloud now to be fair. It was a nice moment finding out I was man of the match but it’s back to work now and I just want to train hard again.

“It was a great week, great to play against AEK, great to play against Tottenham and although I wasn’t expecting it, it was fantastic. I was a bit nervous, but I really enjoyed both games.”

Coleman has been handed an opportunity by Everton’s lengthy injury list, with Phil Neville - who can play at right-back – among those sidelined.

The skipper, who has been missing since September, had targeted a comeback against former club Manchester United last month but required another operation on his knee that will keep him out until the New Year.

“This setback has been a real test of my mental strength, I had set my heart on being fit for the Manchester United game last month,” said Neville.

“Even just a couple of days before I was well on schedule but it turned out the knee wasn’t quite strong enough. I had the wash-out on my knee and since then it has been about focusing on the rehabilitation.”

This is the longest spell Neville has had out injured during his career, with no return date having yet been set. But the 32-year-old has taken encouragement from Everton’s improved displays during the past week.

“I am working really hard,” said Neville. “It has helped with the recent turnaround in performances as I am really enjoying seeing the team playing so well.”