EVERTON FC winger Seamus Coleman admits surprising himself with his swift recovery from the “dirty tackle” that ruined his start to the season.

Coleman made a shock return for EFC on Saturday by starting the 2-2 Premier League draw at home to Aston Villa.

It was a mere five weeks after the Republic of Ireland international damaged ankle ligaments when caught by a poor challenge from Villarreal’s Carlos Marchena in a pre-season friendly.

There were fears Coleman would be sidelined for at least two months, but the flying winger’s early comeback had provided David Moyes with a welcome positive.

“I surprised myself to be honest,” said Coleman.

“I was back training on the Monday and had a really good week.

“Obviously I was trying to impress the manager, he saw fit to put me in and I was more than happy to play.

“It was very frustrating to get injured when I did.

“I was really enjoying that match against Villarreal, it was close to half-time and then I got that dirty tackle.

“It was disappointing to miss the first two games of the season, but I was suspended for one of those so only really missed one league game through injury if you want to look at it positively.

“When it happened I thought it was broken but you always panic at that stage.