Everton suspend Jo

EVERTON manager David Moyes has suspended on-loan striker Jo for a breach of club discipline.

Moyes is furious that the player, who has been suffering from a knee injury, has returned home to Brazil without permission.

>>MEN.

Not something that directly influences us at the moment, and I'm not aware that there is a facility for the loan to be terminated at this stage (even if Everton were looking to do that).

It could impact though on a decision to take Jo on a longer term basis once his current loan deal expires, with David Moyes saying:

"At the moment, it might change in the future, but at the moment it is. Jo went back to Brazil without permission from the football club. He is now back but is suspended at the present time.

"I am disappointed. We like Jo, he has been a really good lad and we have enjoyed having him.

"But there has to be discipline at all football clubs. He left over a busy period when we were short of players. I found it very difficult so he is suspended from the club."

I believe that Jo will be halfway through the deal he signed with us at the start of the 2008/09 season, and whilst he impressed at Everton during the second half of last season, he has struggled to recapture that form this time around. It would be surprising should Everton decide to take him on a full time basis unless we wrote off the majority of the initial fee we paid for him.

We could face the stark choice then of either taking him back with it inconceivable that he would get anywhere near the starting line-up, or writing off virtually the whole of the £18 million or so we shelled out for him - which would make the signing of Matias Vuoso appear a frugal piece of business by comparison.