Kieran Dowell stressed his determination to seize every opportunity to impress boss Marco Silva after his goalscoring display in Everton’s SportPesa Trophy victory over Gor Mahia on Tuesday night.
After fellow England Under-21 international Ademola Lookman put the Blues in front against the Kenyan champions, Dowell lashed a right-footed effort past Gor Mahia ‘keeper Boniface Oluch to double their lead.
Substitutes Nathan Broadhead and Oumar Niasse completed the scoring late in the piece as the Toffees wrapped up a convincing 4-0 win.
Academy graduate Dowell, who hit 10 goals in 43 appearances during a fruitful loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, says he was thrilled to get on the scoresheet at Goodison Park and show boss Silva what he is capable of.
He added the strong competition for places at Everton will only serve to drive the Club forward.
“Every game is a chance to do that, even if it is in the Under-23s or even in training,” he told evertontv. “The manager is always watching and it is always a chance to impress.
“I don’t score many goals on my right foot, so it’s always nice to get one!
“There’s a lot of good players in this team and that’s what Everton wants. We saw a different XI against Gor Mahia and it was still very strong.
“I’ve been short on gametime this season so it was nice to get out there, especially at Goodison Park
“Everybody’s champing at the bit to get a game but the lads who are playing at the weekend are flying, so it’s good all round for the Club.”
Dowell, an Under-20 World Cup winner with England in 2017, also revealed his excitement about his development under progressive boss Silva.
The 21-year-old believes he can thrive playing under a manager with such a forward-thinking philosophy. The skilful midfielder detailed how he his is enjoying being given the chance to express himself on the pitch.
“We like to press from the front and play fast football through the lines,” Dowell said. “That’s what you want to be doing and he is a great manager to play under.
“We have principles in the way we want to play but there is some fluidity in that. I was on the right today, but I found myself as number 10 or off the left, too.
“I feel like I get loads of the ball under him, we like to dominate possession and that’s what we do in most games. Against Gor Mahia, we got four goals and it was a really attacking performance.”
