Gylfi Sigurdsson is convinced Everton are “moving in the right direction” – and the Icelander insists a consummate collective performance against Sheffield United on Saturday would set the wheels in motion on an exciting campaign.

Midfielder Sigurdsson was the creative hub of Everton’s high-energy display in beating Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park three weeks ago.

He dished up a sumptuous cross for Alex Iwobi to head his first Premier League goal for the Club and struck five key passes – three more than any other player on the field.

Sigurdsson hit four accurate crosses, too – Lucas Digne [3] was the only other player to deliver more than one – as Everton completed their sixth home success on the spin.

It was a source of immense frustration for the 30-year-old, then, when Everton lost at Bournemouth last week to pass up an opportunity to climb to third in the table.

The Blues nevertheless remain a single point adrift of Sigurdsson’s old employers Tottenham Hotspur in third and the player is certain Marco Silva's side can feature in this season's shake-up for European places.

Everton meet Sheffield United’s city rivals Wednesday in a Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday and next Saturday welcome champions Manchester City to Goodison.

“We have brought in some very good players and have fantastic talent going forward,” said Sigurdsson.

“I am very excited about the season and if I can provide goals for the other players that is fantastic.

“Winning trophies is something you want to have achieved when you look back at your career, so that is a big ambition.

“In terms of the Club’s future, it wants to be in Europe and to improve every season.

“This Club is moving in the right direction and will continue to grow and compete in European competitions."

Sigurdsson was Everton’s joint-top scorer with Richarlison last term after netting 14 times in all competitions.

His first Premier League goal in 2018/19 came in Everton’s fifth game, prompting a burst of four in four matches.

 The former Swansea City player struck from the spot in last month’s Carabao Cup second-round win at Lincoln City.

His priority this weekend is ensuring Everton bank another Goodison win – but he has an eye on hitting the top-flight goal trail, too.

“I have to be patient, I started slowly last season but then things started going and I am hoping that will happen again,” said Sigurdsson.

“As a team, we want to improve on last season and continue the momentum from the final couple of months when we achieved good results against the big teams and were keeping clean sheets.

“That was one of the major things which got us points towards the end of last season.

“The frustration at Bournemouth came from having that chance to move up the table and then putting in a disappointing performance and not getting the result.

“The only thing we can do is keep working hard and make sure we put it right.

“We are not too far off [achieving the desired consistency], we have to be patient, we know that.

Everton’s winning run on their own patch goes back to a 2-0 success against Chelsea in mid-March.

Their unbeaten sequence reaches back a further fortnight to a goalless draw with Liverpool.

“The atmosphere in the stadium is really good, especially at the moment,” added Sigurdsson.

“We have a lot of confidence at home, we really enjoy playing there and teams don’t want to come to Goodison at the moment

“That is down to the atmosphere and vibe we have created – and that is how we have to keep it.

“I know quite a bit about Sheffield United and we saw the way they played to come up last season.

“It will be similar to the Wolves game, perhaps, because both teams play with three centre-halves.

“They are a good team, especially going forward, and have some quality players."