Everton manager Roberto Martinez has insisted that the club will help Steven Pienaar get back to his best following a lengthy injury battle.
The 33-year-old has not played for the Toffees this season due to a hamstring problem and has been restricted to just one first-team appearance in 2015.
Martinez has revealed that Pienaar has not 'felt like a footballer' and the club will do all that they can to get the South African back to full fitness.
"Sometimes you get into a wrong momentum and wrong dynamic and the more you want to get back, you get a little bit of a setback and you push your body even more, and then that develops a chain of effects where everything goes against you," the Liverpool Echo quotes Martinez as saying.
"Unfortunately, Stevie has been away from feeling happy, feeling like a footballer and feeling as though he can enjoy his football and we need to help him. Now, we are being extra cautious with his recovery and giving him extra time to give him a good period of adaptation."
Pienaar, who admitted in April that he had considered retirement following groin and knee injuries, played in last night's Under-21s match against Schalke 04.
Danielle Joynson
