New Boy Davy Klaassen Hopes to Draw Upon Europa League Experience for Everton

New Everton midfielder Davy Klaassen is hoping to draw upon his Europa League knowledge to help The Toffees in this season's competition, after having made it to the final with former club Ajax last season.  

The 24-year-old Dutchman joined the Merseysiders in June and has already shown glimpses of what fans should expect in the coming season. 

In his debut for the Toffees in Thursday's Europa League third qualifying round leg 1-0 win against MFK Ružomberok, Klaassen impressed and fans will be hopeful he can continue to perform throughout the upcoming season.

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The 24-year-old Dutchman captained Ajax last season as they progressed through the same competition past the likes of FC Copenhagen, Schalke and Lyon to face Manchester United in the final in Stockholm.

Despite the heartache of loss on that night, he has gained an invaluable wealth of knowledge and experience which could prove to be pivotal for Everton in their Europa League ambitions.

On Ajax's run to the final last season, Klaassen stated that momentum was key. Speaking to Evertontv the midfielder stated: “I think the key is to know each other and to know what the other players are going to do when they’ve got the ball,”

“You have to get that special kind of feeling with each other that you can’t be beaten. That has to grow but I think that’s possible."

If Everton win their second leg tie against Ružomberok in Slovakia next Thursday, there is still work to be done to reach the group stages. Another two-legged play-off stands in the club's way and Klaassen and co will need to secure victory if his side are to feature in the competition proper in September. 

With a demanding fixture list and a potential of 10 European fixtures before Christmas, Klaassen believes the new signings at the club and improvement to the squad will help their chances.

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The Dutch International told Everton's official website. “You need a lot of players because the season will be long and there will be a lot of matches," he said.

“I played a lot of matches in the competition last season and hopefully I can go that far this season with Everton as well.”