Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford at the Gtec Community Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Moyes confirmed he has “just about” a fully fit squad. Charly Alcaraz is back in early training but is not available for the game, however, he is “getting close” to being fit again.
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On the prospect of securing European football this season, the Toffees boss said: “I don’t know how we’re going to finish but if you would have given me this position at the start of the season I’d have said ‘thanks very much, I’ll shake your hand’ and hopefully we can keep it going. If you really want to get the big prizes, you have got to win your games at the right time at the end of the season. We’ve started well with the couple of games recently. We have to try and keep that form and momentum going.”
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Moyes admitted “the word Champions League probably makes me shake a wee bit at the thought of that” and he believes it’s “a completely different thing to talk about” than European competition as a whole.
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The Everton head coach was also cautious about getting “too caught up” in the talk and added: “We’d hate to disappoint everybody, and there’s talk about it, but I do want to talk about it because this club, all the supporters have suffered so much. I think the thought of getting them back into Europe makes me think it would be fantastic for the support here, the club and everything they’ve been through recently.”
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He said he is “driving it with the players” and they are key to the upturn in the club’s fortunes: “The players here have turned themselves around. Some of the players, maybe just over a year ago, you might have not considered that level and now are playing really well.”
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Being back at the club has been “a great time” so far for Moyes and his family. He added: “I’ve really enjoyed it because the players have done great.”
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On forward Beto’s form: “I always hoped he would get that bit of luck. Good fortune sometimes that strikers need to get the goals to give them the confidence. He’s just beginning to hopefully run into a bit of form. He scored the goals in the second half of the season last year so we’re hoping that he can continue that.”
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Moyes said they have not made a decision about the long-term future of injured Jack Grealish at the club and they need to “see how the healing goes” from his operation. He did admit the loanee has “played a big part” in getting them to the position they are in.
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[BBC]
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