LOUIS SAHA has found himself in a frustrating, if familiar position during Everton’s first two matches of this season – playing a bit part as a result of injury.

Ankle surgery in March meant the striker was always playing catch up during the crucial pre-season training regimen and as a result found himself on the substitutes’ bench against Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United when the season started.

But the striker, who scored 10 goals in his 17 starts last season, is confident he can prove his fitness and believes extra work he put in at a private training camp during the summer can pay off.

While his team-mates were sunning themselves on beaches or enjoying family trips to Disneyland, Saha spent time at the Camp Eight training complex in the south of France, working on his fitness.

“I have worked hard this summer,” he explained. “I was in Camp Eight and was on a machine that has a mask on your face. I was there for nearly two or three months working hard in camp.

“I had all the machines available and I did use them all, so it hopefully helped me. I can say it’s the longest I have worked in the summer. I was injured from March, and I was in a cast for two months.

“Because of that I worked hard for four months, and I can say it was really, really hard, yeah. I would say I’m in the best shape since I have been here at Everton.”

Everton will need Saha to stay as injury-free as possible.

When fully fit, even at the age of 33 he still remains one of the most feared forwards in the Premier League.

His four-goal performance against Blackpool last season – when he also had another ‘goal’ harshly disallowed – was an individual display bettered only by Dimitar Berbatov’s five goal blast for United against Blackburn.

And with Yakubu currently persona non grata, Jermaine Beckford still a relative rookie in the top flight and Victor Anichebe scoring his first goal for 20 months in midweek, his goal threat will be crucially important.

It is a responsibility he is happy to embrace – especially with Everton’s financial constraints preventing the likelihood of a new goal threat being signed before the transfer window closes next week.

“I have always looked after myself to try and come back from the injuries, but I have always been unlucky in that,” he added. “It is one thing (the injury), so I have had time to work and make sure that I am fully prepared. Sometimes you do too much and get even more stress, and that can cause further injuries to happen to you.

“When I got the injury (against Fulham last season) I tried to hit the ball and I didn’t see the giant Hangeland come, and he just knocked me down.

“It was really hard for me, really really hard. A few injuries are tough to overcome, but this one was terrible – the timing of it was not right. I was coming back better, and then to have that kind of injury is really hard to come back from, but I love my game I love football, so I am here.

“I feel I am ready to be one of the big players for Everton this season.”

There is another player who has only briefly crossed Saha’s radar who may also become a big player at Everton this season.

Ross Barkley was called up into the England Under-21 squad this week – after one solitary first team start.

Barkley followed up that eye-catching display against Queens Park Rangers with another equally promising performance against Sheffield United in midweek.

And afterwards Moyes declared he had had no doubts Barkley would be able to handle the step up from Premier League to international football as smoothly as the transition from reserves to senior side.

Moyes is keen to point out, however, the player has spent considerable time on the sidelines due to injuries – including a broken leg suffered last October – and still has a long way to go in his development.

“I spoke to Stuart Pearce and he is ready for the Under-21s,” Moyes said.

“But the boy has not played enough games of football.

“He made a couple of mistakes in the first half with the ball – you will find there will be times when he does things and you think it’s not maybe quite right.

“That is because he missed a year and has been plunged right in at the deep end.”

Barkley (right) helped create two of Everton’s goals against The Blades, and was part of a much improved team performance which had an admirer in the opposition dug-out.

Blades boss Danny Wilson said: “I had to smile when I read the stories this week that people were writing Everton off.

“They have a good squad and some great players and they played some really good football in areas of the pitch that hurt us.

“The little triangles and the movement was very good.”