After surgery to repair the initial injury, Arteta suffered two setbacks that further extended his spell on the sidelines.

And he said: “It’s been difficult. I’ve learned a lot. Sometimes when you are out you can see things differently. Hopefully now I can start giving something to the team.

“There are moments when you cannot see the light, especially when you have a setback and you think you’re going to be out for another month and then another one. My family, wife and young son, who had just been born, kept me going through the dark days.”

Moyes, however, has moved to calm the clamour for Arteta to be thrown into the starting line-up for Wednesday’s Premier League visit of Sunderland.

“We need to quell the idea that Mikel is ready,” said the Everton manager. “I think it will be a month or so yet. Ideally I would rather he had some reserve games and practice matches before coming in.

“I thought he did fine when he came on and I will try and get him up to speed as quickly as I can but people have to remember he has been out for nearly a year. He hasn’t even had a game yet.

“It will be a bit up and down for him over the next month or two before he is right. He will play in the reserves and he might play behind closed doors. He needs some games in him.”

It is a view with which Arteta concurs. “It’s going to take time until I’m back to my best,” he said. “I just want to make it hard decision for the manager and to play as many minutes and games as possible.

“But I have to win my place back in the team. The lads that are there now deserve to be in ahead of me and I have to build up my confidence now.

“My target now is training on Monday. I’ve been thinking of targets for a long time, but now I’m only looking to training every day and making myself as fit as I can. It’s not a long season now for me, and I just want to make sure I enjoy every minute.”