Everton playmaker James Rodriguez believes he has more to offer as he prepares to return for the resumption of the Premier League.
The Colombia international has missed the last five matches with a calf problem but looks set to be ready for the visit of Crystal Palace on April 5 after beginning individual training this week.
Midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin is finally back with the main squad having not played at all since August 2019 because of a number of serious injuries but it is the re-emergence of Rodriguez which is likely to be pivotal to the club’s hopes of securing European football.
The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich forward has scored five Premier League goals and provided four assists in 18 appearances but he believes he can improve on that.
“I’m reasonably happy with how I am playing. I think there’s more to come and I can hit some better form but when I’ve performed well, it’s had a positive effect on the team,” he told evertonfc.com.
“And that’s what I want: for the team to play good football and perform at a high standard.
“I’ve come to a good club, a club that wants to achieve big things. I’m with a manager (Carlo Ancelotti) who knows exactly what I’m like. I get on fantastically well with him, just like a father and son.
“Many of my hopes and dreams have come to fruition, but when you fulfil your dreams, you want to achieve even more, so here we are, now, taking things step by step.
“Firstly, we need to be fighting it out around the top of the league. The past two games (defeats to Burnley and Chelsea) haven’t been as good as we would have liked but that’s the Premier League.
“Every game is like a final, a battle, but that’s what we’re here for and you have to make sure you’re in good shape and strong mentally and prepared for everything, as it’s going to be tough.”
