Manchester United captain Gary Neville marked his return from injury with a goal against Everton in a reserves match at the Halton Stadium.Neville has not played a first-team game since breaking an ankle against Bolton in March last year, since when he has been troubled by thigh and calf problems.

He was due to feature in last month's Champions League 'dead-rubber' against Roma but was forced to pull out after experiencing pain in his ankle, which left Sir Alex Ferguson fearing a major delay in the long-serving full-back's comeback plans.

However, Ferguson reported the fresh problem was merely due to scar tissue and after being given the green light to step up training, Neville - who has found the net just seven times in his United career - promptly scored against Everton, albeit with the aid of a couple of deflections.

On a windswept night at Widnes on Wednesday, Neville appeared to show no ill-effects from his exertions, although he was taken off at half-time, along with Danny Simpson and Craig Cathcart.

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