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Theo Walcott says he felt back to his best in the victory against West Ham and is aiming to cement his place in the Everton side.
The Toffees have been under heavy pressure following a poor start to the season that resulted in them slipping into the bottom three places of the Premier League, but bounced back with a crucial 2-0 win over the Hammers.
It was only Walcott’s second start of the season and his first appearance since being concussed in the clash against Manchester City last month and having, against his wishes, to sit a game out.
The former Arsenal and Southampton star impressed during the win and was happy to put the frustration of being out of the side behind him. Now he is back in the side, he intends to stay there. “I have been working hard in training. That’s all I can do to show what I can do,” the 30-year-old said.
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“I got my start against City and, obviously, the concussion, which that’s lost with me. “But then (on Saturday) I felt young again and that’s what I want to be.”
Meanwhile, Walcott admits it has been hard to avoid the speculation swirling around Everton recently – but he felt his team-mates brushed it aside superbly on Saturday.
Bernard and Gylfi Sigurdsson struck as Everton ended a run of four successive Premier League defeats and eased the pressure on manager Marco Silva with a comfortable win.
The scoreline did not flatter the Merseysiders, who leapt out of the bottom three with a high-energy performance which could have easily have yielded more goals. They also hit the frame of the goal twice among 19 attempts on goal.
Walcott, who was responsible for one of those near misses with a thunderous strike against the bar, added Everton TV: “It was enjoyable from start to finish. Everybody worked so hard. “We’re looking on the outside, we know what’s been happening – people talking. But we’ve just kept it in the group. We know what to expect and that is what it is every week, simple as that.”
