Everton Defender Michael Keane Says Hard Graft Needed After 'Bad Start to the Season'

Everton defender Michael Keane says that 'hard graft' is the best way for the team to get their season back on track.

The Toffees have made a stuttering start to the new season, having taken just seven points from their first seven games, and manager Ronald Koeman already finds himself under pressure.

The Dutchman invested heavily in new players in the summer such as Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Wayne Rooney and Keane himself, but they have failed to hit the ground running.

They have also struggled in the Europa League after losing to Atalanta and drawing at home to Apollon Limassol, but Keane isn't panicking just yet, and thinks hard work will see them rise up the table.

Speaking to the club's official website, he said: "We’ve had a bad start to the season but we’re still not too far away from where we’d want to be. If we put a good run together of three or four wins in a row, which we are capable of, I’m sure we’ll climb back up the table.

"It’s only seven games in, so there’s a long way to go. It’s been a slow start but we just need to keep working hard and pick it up.

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"We’ve got an experienced manager, we’ve got some experienced players, and they know we will come out of it. We just have to keep working hard - that’s all you can do, and then give your best every time [you go out on the pitch].

"If we get a few wins, that confidence will come back and hopefully that’s sooner rather than later."