Demarai Gray has vowed to come back from the summer break in the “best shape possible” as he looks to boost his attacking output in the new season. 

It’s been a challenging period for the Blues since Gray arrived on Merseyside two years ago, but the 26-year-old has played an integral role in helping the Club secure their Premier League status in both campaigns. 

He’s scored a combined nine Premier League strikes – which includes a goal-of-the-season contender at Manchester City last season - while registering a further four assists. Gray was also chosen by manager Sean Dyche to lead the line ahead of other more traditional strikers in last season’s crucial final game against Bournemouth.

He produced a battling display which, along with Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning second-half strike, helped the Blues secure a vital 1-0 win. 

Reflecting on the days leading up to that contest, Gray told evertonfc.com: “I think I trained pretty well throughout the week with Dom (Calvert-Lewin) being out. I wanted to make sure I could impress and put myself in line to play and, thank God, it did.

“Obviously in my performance, I should’ve scored, but I did my work and ran for the team.”

Although Gray’s selection showed a level of trust in the attacker by his manager, the forward says he’s driven to keep developing so he can add more consistency to his game in the new season. 

“I need to keep improving and bring what I can to the Club,” he explains.  “Obviously, the season is done now and I’ve got internationals to focus on but after that, I want to come back in the best shape possible.
 
“That means mixing my qualities with what the manager requires from me and hopefully I can do that on a consistent basis, because being an attacker, you are expected to get goals and assists so I want to up my numbers.”

Gray is set for CONCACAF Gold Cup action this weekend when Jamaica face the United States (25 June, 2.30am BST), before taking on Trinidad and Tobago (29 June, 12.30am BST) and Saint Kitts and Nevis (3 July, 12am BST) in their remaining group games.

The forward had played through the age groups for England and received a call-up to the senior squad from Gareth Southgate in 2018. However, he didn’t make an appearance and has now officially switched international allegiance to Jamaica – qualifying through his maternal grandparents.

After joining the squad in America, Gray looked ahead to the upcoming tournament as well as his future with the national team.

“It's good to finally be here,” said Gray. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming for me. I know a few of the boys here from playing against them, but I’ve played with Amari’i (Bell) and Leon (Bailey) before. They’ve helped me to settle in well and the vibes have been good.

“I’ve always had fans in my comments and messages, encouraging me to join the team. It’s been great to get it over the line and see the response and support."

Explaining his Jamaican roots, Gray added: “I was born in Birmingham and spent most of my life in Birmingham, but my grandparents were born in Jamaica. I spent a lot of time around there as a kid, and so I’ve been around the culture all my life.

“Representing Jamaica now, obviously it’s a proud moment for them. With where I’m at in my career and the things I want to achieve – I feel like I can do that here with Jamaica. It’s a good start being at the Gold Cup. It’s something to achieve and to try to win.”

Keep an eye on evertonfc.com throughout the summer for regular updates on how our international stars are getting on.