Martinez: Let´s build on last season

Everton manager Roberto Martinez wants his side to build on the “great platform” they set last season.

In the club’s last campaign under David Moyes, who has replaced Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Everton finished sixth, two points above rivals Liverpool.

Martinez, who has arrived at Goodison Park from the relegated Wigan, is excited to work with his new players and is hopeful they can improve on last season’s finish and qualify for Europe.

“I am very much looking forward to working with this group of players as they achieved great levels last campaign and that is something that gives us a great platform to start from in pre-season,” Martinez told evertontv.

“That’s important, that the players are here and they will get a little bit of help with the new signings and all together, we can work from where we are now, so that (pre-season) is something that gives you a very good starting point.

“As a manager you can never be satisfied until you are with your players and the team working on the training ground and until then you are just waiting to get started.

“I’m very much looking forward to getting the next few weeks out of the way as quick as we can.”

Martinez revealed that spending time at the club’s Finch Farm training facility and meeting the staff he will be working with has got him even keener to get things underway.

“Seeing the facilities always provides a feeling of satisfaction – as I’ve said before as the club has an incredible platform,” he said.

“Then you start meeting the people within the facilities and you get a real sense of real joy in the place. I am really looking forward to getting started with the players.

“Everyone at the football club has made me very welcome and that makes it easy to get a real feeling between all of us and develop a real good working mentality and a good standard of daily work.”