Royston Drenthe is ready for his first taste of the Merseyside derby and claims to be fully aware of how important the fixture is.
Toffees winger aware of the importance placed on Reds clash
Royston Drenthe is ready for his first taste of the Merseyside derby and claims to be fully aware of how important the fixture is.
The on-loan winger will form part of Everton's plans this weekend when they welcome cross-city rivals Liverpool to Goodison Park.
The Dutchman, who joined on loan from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day, is aware that the stakes will be high this Sunday and insists he is prepared to give everything to the Toffees' cause.
"You don't have to tell me it is a really important game," Drenthe told the club's
official website.
"If I am on the pitch I will give more than 100 per cent to help get the Blues the three points.
"I know how important it is for the Evertonians who support us in every game."
Drenthe has plenty of prior experience when it comes to derby clashes, having turned out for Feyenoord against Ajax and Real against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Quality
In one of those meetings with Atletico, he made a match-winning contribution off the bench - winning a late penalty after being felled by new club colleague John Heitinga.
"It is like Feyenoord-Ajax, Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid - the games are really important for the club, the supporters and the players," he said.
"I remember we scored in the first half really early on, then Simao scored a free-kick to make it 1-1 and it looked like it would end 1-1.
"But there were six minutes of added time and Rafa (van der Vaart) and me had come on as substitutes. In the last two minutes I did a couple of skills, Johnny touched me in the box and (Gonzalo) Higuain scored the penalty.
"The Everton players don't have to tell me much, I like my work and I know it's a derby so you don't have to tell me anything.
"I know they have quality but so do we. We have to think about our own game and deliver on the pitch."
