Dwight McNeil says he is hungry for more pre-season action and keen to contribute more in the way of goals as preparations for the competitive 2023/24 season continue.

It was a good runout for Sean Dyche’s men on Tuesday night who produced impressive moments of attacking play, but were ultimately held to a goalless draw at Bolton.

An energetic McNeil once again displayed his impressive technical ability as he did three days prior in the win over Wigan Athletic. Limited to 45 minutes at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, the Blues forward knows the importance of building fitness and form ahead of the new season.

“It was a good runout. At the minute, I think it’s just important that everyone get minutes into their legs. That was the main thing tonight,” he told evertontv.

“I thought we played well in the first half; we had some good chances.

“It’s still pre-season, but we know from last season that we need to score more goals. We’re still trying to find a way to do that.

“When we came out for the second half, I thought the young lads done well.

“The main thing is for everyone to get fit and get through the game, and we move through the pre-season.

“You want to have a good strong pre-season, but two wins and a draw is not too bad.

“You want to win as many games as you can heading into the new season. Consistency is key in the Premier League and winning is the best way to generate that form.

“It brings that winning formula and the feel-good factor into the team.

“That’s what we want to do this season; win more games, play better as a team and score more goals.”

The 23-year-old was influential in preserving the Club’s Premier League status last season, registering seven goals and three assists in his debut Everton campaign.

With an eagerness to kick on, McNeil is aiming for a stronger second season in Royal Blue.

“I love playing. You’re always frustrated as a player when you only get to play one half, you want to play more, but of course I understand from the Gaffer’s side as well,” he continued.

“I knew last season as a team that we could do a lot better. That’s what I want to do this season.

“My own form, I want to take that into this season and try to help the team where I can.

“From a team perspective, we want to do a lot better, score more goals, get more points on the board and get that confidence. Hopefully it can be a good year for us.”

Over three and a half thousand Evertonians made the journey to Bolton on Tuesday evening and are expected to travel in their numbers to Stoke on Saturday.

McNeil assured that the level of support doesn’t go unnoticed, emphasising the importance the fans play in the Club’s success.

“It’s massive. At the end of the day, they’re friendlies but credit to them travelling up and down the country even in pre-season,” he added.

“That’s another reason why we’ll have a good year this year because we know when we’re in good form, winning games, Goodison gets rocking.

“We want to win a lot more games this year to make it a difficult place to come to and obviously make it enjoyable for the fans.”