Lewis Dobbin revealed he has taken great inspiration from teammate Ben Godfrey as he continues to relish his first full season as a Premier League player for Everton. 

The Stoke-born forward, who joined Everton aged 11, spent the 2022/23 campaign with Derby County, making 54 appearances while registering 11 goal contributions (five goals, six assists) across all competitions for the League One outfit. 

Upon returning to Merseyside this summer, Dobbin was included in the Men's Senior Team's pre-season camp at Lake Geneva and impressed manager Sean Dyche throughout the summer. 

He’s been a regular in the Blues’ Premier League squads this season but has had to be patient to secure regular minutes in the team’s ultra-competitive wide positions. 

The 21-year-old has seized the opportunities that have come his way, though, most notably smashing a sweetly-struck left-footed drive to notch his maiden Senior-Team goal in the 2-0 win over Chelsea back in December. 

“It’s been really enjoyable,” said the winger reflecting on the campaign so far. “This is my first full season in a Premier League squad, so to be staking a claim for a spot in the team is always positive.

“Hopefully, when I get my minutes I can take my chance, and hopefully, I keep getting minutes.”

Dobbin’s attitude has earned plenty of praise throughout the campaign from Dyche, and while he accepts it’s not always easy waiting for opportunities to come his way, he stated the resurgence of teammate Ben Godfrey has been a huge motivation for him.

Like Dobbin, Godfrey’s playing time in the first half of the season was limited. However, the defender’s commitment in training and influence around Everton’s tight-knit group has never wavered and he’s since started the Blues’ past three Premier League matches - impressing in each. 

“He [Godfrey] is a great professional,” he explained. “We see that every day in training. He always trains at 100 per cent and always gives it all. He has deservedly secured his spot in the team and long may it continue.”

Both players will hope to play a role in Monday’s crucial Premier League contest against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park (8pm GMT kick-off). 

The Blues have the chance to close the five-point gap between the two sides in the table, but the Eagles could head to Merseyside under the charge of a new manager, with former Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner reportedly ready to succeed Roy Hodgson. 

Despite this, Dobbin said he and his Everton teammates won’t be impacted by the noise around the visitors and stated the internal focus will remain on themselves and doing all they can to secure a crucial positive result.

“The most important thing right now is taking it game by game and trying to get the best results possible,” he added. “So we are going to just keep taking it game by game and focus on ourselves.

“We try to block out any outside noise. Don’t let other people affect us, let us have our own judgement and listen to each other because we are the only people that matter - we will keep fighting for each other every day.”