• Everton record second win on tour of Australia
• Louis Saha misses early penalty in 2-0 win

Everton continued their pre-season preparations with a comfortable 2-0 friendly win over the Australian side Melbourne Heart.

Jack Rodwell and Louis Saha were both on target as Everton won for the second time on their tour following their weekend defeat of Sydney FC.

Saha fired an early penalty wide before Rodwell turned home a Seamus Coleman cross after 34 minutes.

The Frenchman made amends for his miss by making the result safe on the hour with a strike from the edge of the box.

The Everton manager David Moyes handed debuts to the forwards Jermaine Beckford and Joao Silva while the Australia World Cup midfielder Tim Cahill played his last game before beginning a belated summer break.

Evertonguardian.co.uk

• Midfielder holds talks with officials at St James’ Park
• Everton appealing against tribunal ruling on £4m-rated player

Dan Gosling appears bound for Newcastle United after holding productive talks with officials from St James’ Park but no transfer is likely to be announced until his current club, Everton, have appealed against a Premier League tribunal ruling concerning the 20-year-old midfielder.

An administrative oversight on Everton’s part – who neglected to put a verbal contract offer to Gosling in writing in May – means the Merseysiders are poised to lose a player valued at around £4m on a free transfer.

That was the verdict of a Premier League tribunal which ruled Gosling could leave Everton for nothing but the Goodison Park club are expected to lodge an appeal and, should they succeed, would be entitled to compensation.

Gosling, who will miss the first three months of the new season due to a knee injury, has attracted interest from Bolton, Sunderland and West Ham but is understood to have agreed to join Newcastle.

The versatile midfielder earned £8,000 a week last season but Everton’s failure to put their verbal offer of an improved £15,000 a week deal in writing before 30 May made Gosling an attractive commodity.

Plymouth, Gosling’s first club, are almost as dismayed as Everton having been due a sell-on fee in the event of any future transfer.

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• Ireland international defender recovering from freak liver injury
• ‘We are optimistic and all the doctors are optimistic’

The Everton defender Shane Duffy could be back playing within three or four months after surviving a life-threatening injury.

The Republic of Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, has revealed doctors are hopeful that the 18-year-old, who suffered a freak liver injury during a training match on Friday evening, could return to action early next season.

“I have just spoken with our doctors and he is conscious,” said Trapattoni. “We are optimistic and all the doctors are optimistic. They think in about three or four months, he can play.

“But it is important he is fit, he is conscious and he is not in danger as he was in the first two days.”

Trapattoni also confirmed that Keiren Westwood will start tomorrow night’s friendly with Paraguay in goal as Shay Given continues his recovery from injury.

Stephen Kelly, Paul McShane, Sean St Ledger and John O’Shea will make up the back four with Liam Lawrence, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan and Damien Duff in midfield and Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle in attack.

Republic of IrelandEvertonguardian.co.uk