Yesil: I'm ready to make my mark now
Samed Yesil is delighted to finally be over his injury nightmare and is hoping to mark his return to action with a maiden Merseyside derby victory.
The highly-rated striker made his first start in six months as the U21s defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 last week, grabbing two well-taken goals in a deserved win at White Hart Lane.
That goalscoring comeback marked the end of a torrid time for Yesil, who has suffered two serious knee injuries since moving to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2012.
The German appeared twice for the first team in the League Cup in his debut season on Merseyside but has seen his progress hampered by those lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Now, Yesil is out to make up for lost time and is targeting three points in his first encounter with Everton, for the U21s, over two-and-a-half years on from joining the Reds.
Michael Beale's team are set to face their rivals at Goodison Park on Thursday evening - a match you can watch live on LFCTV HD from 6.30pm BST - and the young forward cannot wait.
"It's always nice to be back playing and to score goals," he said.
"It was quite tough [against Tottenham] because it was a long time that I didn't start a game. I know that I wasn't ready to play 90 minutes but I'm sure against Everton I will be ready to play [the full game].
"I'm really excited because it's now three years and it's my first derby because I was out through injuries.
"It's a great opportunity for us to play in a Premier League stadium and it's always a different feeling playing in front of so many supporters."
Ahead of a likely derby debut, Yesil also paid tribute to the staff at the Academy for their support during his two lay-offs.
And he promised supporters that his best is yet to come as he targets full fitness following his return to the starting XI.
"It was really hard [to be out] because after the second [injury] I didn't know what to do," he continued.
"But I was lucky that I had good people around me and they gave me confidence to come back.
"It was amazing support from all the staff, from my teammates, from the physios, my friends and family.
"They gave me confidence, they gave me motivation to come back and I think without them I might not have.
"I feel really sharp already but I know I'm not at 100 per cent. I'm sure there is more to come from me."
The young Reds currently sit just five points short of top spot in the Barclays U21 Premier League, and have a game in hand on leaders Manchester United.
With just four league games remaining, Yesil is certain he and his teammates can close that gap and claim a title he believes would be deserved.
"We absolutely deserve to win it because we have so many young players in our squad, maybe we are the youngest squad in the U21 Premier League," the Germany youth international declared.
"We played so many games [well] and were sometimes a little unlucky with the result but I'm sure if we win all four games we will get there."