Everton attacker Bernard has revealed that his compatriot Jo is keen on returning to the Premier League with the Toffees. Bernard joined the Merseyside outfit on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer and he thereafter managed 34 appearances through the league campaign while contributing one goal and three assists.

Speaking to The ECHO, Bernard said that his Brazilian teammate Jo has been keeping a close watch on his progress at Goodison Park and has the ambition of making a comeback with the club, he said: “Jo watched my first game against Leicester and sent me a message saying he was really happy with my performance. He told me the club was an excellent and great club with an extra-ordinary structure. He also said he would like to play here again. With the mindset he has, he is a lot more mature and a totally different person, a changed guy, really focused.”

Jo spent the backend of the 2008/09 campaign on loan with the Toffees after struggling to adjust to the style of play at Manchester City whom he joined from CSKA Moscow six months before. He made a quick impression with five goals from 12 appearances and that saw him rewarded with another year’s loan with the Merseyside club.

However, his second loan stint was far from successful after he was suspended by manager David Moyes for going to Brazil for Christmas without intimation and the deal was terminated shortly after. Since then, the marksman has spent time with Internacional, Corinthians and he is currently in the ranks of Nagoya Grampus, where he has scored 26 times from 37 appearances.

Everton boss Marco Silva has been widely fancied to pursue a potent goalscorer during the summer but a move for Jo appears wide off the mark, considering his age. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently the first-choice marksman in the club’s ranks but he has not been able to find the consistency in terms of scoring despite impressing with the hold-up play and movement.