Everton manager Roberto Martinez has praised ‘man of the moment’ Samuel Eto’o for his will to help the club’s young players and his winning mentality.
And he is adamant that the Cameroon star will help the Toffees reach new heights.
“It took me two minutes to understand that Samuel was hungry and desperate to have a role as senior player to help the young players around him,” Martinez told The Liverpool Echo.
“Samuel is a leader. He’s got that real know-how controlling moments on the pitch which is something really difficult to teach to players.
“He always knows what to do, has the right advice for a youngster and goes out of his way to help anyone that is around him.
“From a human point of view I’ve been so impressed with his work in training.
“He’s brought value to our squad straight away.
“Samuel wanted to stay in the UK and he wanted to win trophies here – that was his drive.
“You don’t achieve what he has achieved unless you’re a winner and you’ve got high standards.
“The problem with Samuel will be the day he can’t run anymore – it’s not going to be a problem with lack of motivation.
“He’s got too much in him as a proud person to drop his standards,” he added.
The 33-year old is set to make his first start for Everton against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park this Sunday, in matchday 5 of the English Premier League.
“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,” Martinez told reporters ahead of Sunday’s clash.
“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.”
