YAKUBU is poised to take the latest step in his comeback from injury when Everton hit the Wembley trail again this evening.

The Nigeria striker is in line to make his first start in almost 10 months when David Moyes’s side travel to Hull City for their Carling Cup third round tie.

Yakubu has been restricted to three substitute appearances during the past month as Everton nurse him back to full fitness from the serious Achilles injury suffered at Tottenham Hotspur last November.

Moyes will resist the temptation of making wholesale changes tonight as Everton aim to continue building momentum after comprehensively beating AEK Athens and Blackburn Rovers in the past week.

But an ever-improving Yakubu is likely to be unleashed on Phil Brown’s side.

“He is in with a shout definitely,” said Everton assistant manager Steve Round. “As each week goes by, you can see a significant improvement in him. He will be involved.

“It was a very nasty injury that he had. Even for that particular injury, it was a bad one.

“It has taken the full nine months that were prescribed for him to get back.

“But he is now looking fitter and stronger and more injury free. The slight limp you get when coming back from a serious injury has gone now, he is running freely.

“We certainly see him now as

starting to push into the first team now over the next few weeks.”