Frontline Football Blog

Mikel Arteta has said he is excited to get back on the field following an injury nightmare and wants to play as much as he can to help Everton's Premier League aspirations for this season.

The influential Spanish playmaker made his first appearance in almost a year when he came off the bench on 76 minutes during his side's FA Cup fourth round defeat to Birmingham.

Arteta suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in a game against Newcastle United in February 2009 and told BBC Radio Merseyside he was "so excited" to get back on the pitch.

He now wants to play as much as possible to help Everton build on their current position of tenth in the Premier League and Arteta is likely to be involved when they meet Sunderland on Wednesday night. The football betting makes Everton favourites to win that match.

The 27-year-old said it has been a "difficult" period and he has worked hard to get back from three operations.

"Hopefully now I can start giving the team something different," Arteta said.

"David Moyes said to me last week he wants to manage the situation the best way he can. I just want to make it a hard decision for him and play as many games and as many minutes as possible."

Everton boss Moyes moved to boost his side's defensive capabilities last week by signing Philippe Senderos from Premier League rivals Arsenal on loan until the end of the season.

While the Premier League odds reflect the fact that Everton have no chance of finishing in the top four, they could still sneak into a Europa League spot.