The midfielder of Malian descent had a positive start to his career in the blue half of Merseyside
Abdoulaye Doucoure says he wants to repay the trust given to him by Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti after giving him his debut in the Toffees 1-0 season-opening win at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 27-year-old Franco-Malian is a new signing at Goodison Park having sealed a £20 million move from last season’s relegated side Watford last Tuesday and the Merseysiders got their campaign off to a fine start thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 55th-minute header.
Doucoure asserts he had little time to settle at the club but was in top shape to play the game.
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“I trained only three times with the team but I kept my shape and condition to be ready for the game,” he said on the club website.
“I am very happy. I have a good physical shape and the manager has a lot of trust in me – I need to give him back that trust on the pitch.
“We worked very hard today. The week [in the lead-up] was brilliant – the manager was very focused on this game. We were very happy to have the win at the end.
“It is just the start but it was a great win against a big team. We need to keep that way and, in the end, we are going to achieve what we want.”
Ancelotti also started other new signings in Allan and James Rodriguez, two players he worked with while he was the manager at Napoli and Real Madrid respectively. Doucoure believes their additions are a bonus for a side who finished 12th last season and will be targeting European qualification this term, having last achieved it during the 2017-18 season.
“I think it is a dream start for all of us new signings,” Doucoure continued.
“They [James and Allan] are great players, the team has very good players and, of course, with the signings of James and Allan, it is a big bonus for us this year.
“It was a tough start but we got our first win. We need to keep going that way and I’m sure we are going to achieve good things this season.”
The Toffees will next be in action at home to Salford City in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
