Eto’o poised for Everton promotion
Eto’o set up Kevin Mirallas for Everton’s final goal in Thursday night’s 4-1 Uefa Europa League win over Wolfsburg and is pushing for his full Goodison Park debut against Crystal Palace tomorrow.
The veteran former three-time Champions League winner was seen as a risk in some quarters when he signed a two-year contract in August after being deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea.
But despite a groin injury hampering attempts to get his Everton career up and running, manager Martinez is adamant he has seen enough already to believe Eto’o will make a significant impact at the club this season.
Martinez said: “Samuel has been so influential in the day-to-day training with the players and (against Wolfsburg) he gave me the impression he is ready from a physical point of view.
“That is going to be a major boost for the squad because in just two substitute appearances you could not believe the influence he has had on the squad already.
“His goal against Chelsea was an incredible introduction and I can’t wait to see him playing for a longer time with the team.”
Martinez will not be taking anything for granted against Palace who stole the three points in last season’s equivalent fixture and will be itching to repeat the feat under new boss Neil Warnock.
“We have to make sure everybody is fully recovered to face a very tough challenge because last season we struggled and lost the points,” added Martinez.
“This Palace side have got a really good continuity from what they did in the last campaign so we are well aware of the task we face.”
Palace boss Neil Warnock hopes to have striker Marouane Chamakh available tomorrow.
The Morocco international has been sidelined with a hamstring issue and, although Warnock will give him every chance to prove his fitness, he will not take unnecessary risks.
