NIKICA JELAVIC can become one of the Premier League most prolific marksmen this season after returning to scoring ways during Saturday’s win over Sunderland, says Steven Pienaar.
The Croatian’s second half goal at Goodison sealed an important three points for Everton as they remained in the Premier League’s fourth place, and Pienaar believes his team-mate will quickly return to his ruthless best.
Victory over Martin O’Neill’s men was hard fought and Pienaar reckons Everton’s timely return to winning ways after a string of draws could prove to be vital.
He said: “I’m really delighted he has scored. I told him in the week just to be patient and keep working hard because things will turn and I’m thankful it has.
“I think people tend to forget we only really have one fit striker so we can’t put too much pressure on him. The most important thing is that he’s been working hard.
“We always knew he had the ability to score goals and I think he will be right up there among the top scorers in the league this season.”
With West Bromwich Albion winning away at Wigan on Saturday, Everton had to take maximum points to keep in fourth spot, and Pienaar said he was relieved they managed to see out the game despite not being at their best for parts of it.
“When you come from four draws in a row there’s pressure because we knew we had to win to get it out of our system,” he said. “A lot of people might have thought the wheels were coming off a bit but we just had to keep going. We’ve been playing really nice football lately but we need to get the results the dirty, hard way too. Look at Manchester United the last couple of seasons when they’ve been near the top or winners and they haven’t always played the best football but they’ve got the winning mentality.
“With this result it might not have been the best display but it might be important at the end of the season. It was about the result and we’re all really pleased.”
Last week South African coach Gordon Igesund reiterated his desire to try and persuade Pienaar to change his mind over his recent retirement from international football, but Pienaar insisted he remains happy with his decision and focused on the club he re-joined in the summer.
He said: “The most important thing was for me to think about myself and my body. To be honest I’ve got a reason why I retired from international football and it was for my health that it was important.
“I think it was a good idea not to go back and hopefully I can stay fit for the rest of the season.”
