Ademola Lookman revealed his desire to “improve every day and get better as a player and a person” as he set his sights on breaking into Marco Silva’s starting XI.
The winger - who has impressed coming off the bench in Everton’s past three Premier League matches - delivered a sparkling goalscoring performance as the Blues secured a 4-0 victory over Gor Mahia in their SportPesa Trophy clash at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
Lookman’s emphatic close-range finish set the Blues on their way against the Kenyan champions and he was a constant threat throughout - his pace, trickery and directness repeatedly put opposition defenders on the back foot.
Everton boss Silva last week praised the dynamic forward’s attitude and application, explaining he was “working hard and pushing” for a place in his team.
Lookman, who celebrated his 21st birthday last month, underlined his desire to keep developing his game every time he steps on to the training pitch.
“I always say I’m always in competition with myself to always get better and improve and that’s what I keep doing every single day,” Lookman told evertontv.
“It is a long season so hopefully opportunities [to play] will arise but when it comes I’ll be ready.
“I’m always looking forward, always looking to improve and that’s what I’m going to keep on doing – to always get better as a player and as a person."
Having put Everton ahead against Gor Mahia, the young winger also played an important role in the Toffees’ second of the night, as three of Everton’s England Under-21 internationals combined to devastating effect.
After picking up the ball on the edge of his own box, Lookman played a one-two with Dominic Calvert-Lewin before gliding forward into the opposition half.
The former Charlton Athletic man again spied Calvert-Lewin making a darting run forward and slipped in the striker – he was challenged by Gor Mahia defender Joash Onyango but Kieran Dowell was there to latch on to the loose ball and double Everton’s lead.
Academy graduate Nathan Broadhead and Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse added the gloss to the scoreline late in the piece.
Next up for Everton is a clash at Premier League high-fliers Chelsea, with the Toffees heading into the game having won four of their past five top-flight matches.
Lookman is confident the Blues boast the quality and ambition to achieve a positive result at Stamford Bridge, adding he is enjoying linking up with the array of attacking talents in the squad.
“We can all help each other, we know each other’s qualities and it can help us raise each other’s game,” he said.
“It was good to get minutes in the legs against Gor Mahia and it’s always good to win, so I’m happy. It was important to work hard and show our quality.
“If you get into good habits, they will always stick with you and that’s important.
“We have Chelsea next and we go into every single game to win. As a team we are very confident and that is our objective – to always try to win.”
