Injury-prone Ferguson set to return for Everton

Duncan Ferguson will finally make his long-awaited comeback for Everton today after almost five months out with a variety of injuries. The Scottish striker is scheduled to turn out for the reserves against Manchester City as he tries to recover from hamstring and back trouble. The 31-year-old's last appearance was as a substitute in the Worthington Cup tie against Wrexham in September, the night Wayne Rooney scored his first senior goals for Everton.

The Everton manager David Moyes might decide to partner Ferguson with Rooney in the reserves tonight as the 17-year-old needs a run-out having recently missed four first-team games through suspension. Ferguson needs to demonstrate his fitness soon as a decision about his future at the club is due in the summer. He has cost Everton around £750,000 in wages since he last kicked a ball in anger.

Moyes is also weighing up a move for Arsenal's England Under-21 winger Jermaine Pennant. Moyes is determined to build a young Everton side around the emerging talents of Rooney and Tony Hibbert, and Pennant, who returns to Arsenal today after a three-month loan spell at Watford, fits the bill.

Pennant is frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities at Highbury and may well consider a move to Everton in the summer. Moyes is also watching the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Matthew Etherington and Ipswich Town's Darren Ambrose.

Moyes, meanwhile, has insisted Everton "should be doing better" in the Premiership, despite becoming this season's surprise package in rising to fifth place.

He said: "We should have picked up more points and as a matter of fact I'm actually disappointed we are not further up the table. I can't say where I hope to finish, but I do feel we have dropped a few points lately where I feel we should have picked them up, so from that point of view we should be higher up.

"Obviously we have to admit we are delighted with the position we are in. We're coming to the end of February and we are still in contention to be involved in the European places, which we now have to try and push for if possible."

According to some reports, Moyes is also considering a move for the Munich 1860 striker Benjamin Louth.

Bolton Wanderers are watching the Falkirk strikers Lee Miller and Colin Samuel, though Everton are also interested in the pair.

The Wanderers' manager Sam Allardyce sent his chief scout Jack Chapman to see them in action in the First Division leaders' victory over St Mirren over Saturday.

Samuel scored in the 3-1 win at Brockville Park and the pacy striker has already impressed Moyes, who is likely to make a move for him when the transfer window opens in the summer. But Bolton could match any offer for the Trinidadian forward and are even more interested in Miller, a player they have been asking about for months.

Miller and Samuel have already been to Everton on trial and Bolton would to like to do similar, but Falkirk would rather they watched them in action.