Moyes praises Naysmith
05 Sep 2006 - 13:37:17
Everton manager David Moyes is delighted to see Gary Naysmith return to form and fitness at both club and international level.
The 27-year-old former Hearts star was struggling 12 months ago after being forced to have three ankle operations but has been in fine form so far this term.
He starred in Scotland's 6-0 thrashing of the Faroe Islands on Saturday and Moyes told the Liverpool Echo: "Gary is playing well. He looks like he's got his fitness levels back now as it's difficult for players when they've a long spell out like he did.
"But he's showing us consistency and that's good. The competition is the same for all players but probably Gary has had to work that little bit harder.
"Nuno Valente has done really well and we also have Alessandro Pistone who can come in and play there too. Competition is what we want and it's bringing the best out of Gary.
"The other thing with Gary is his versatility and we may need to play him one further up now that we've sold Kevin (Kilbane).
"He's played as a left midfielder before and there may be times in the future when he needs to do so again.
"But we're pleased with him just now and we hope he can continue as he's been doing in recent weeks."