Nathan Patterson has been warned by Everton boss David Moyes that he must raise his levels.
The Scotland right-back, 23, has endured a hellish time with injuries over the last few seasons and has been restricted to just 11 appearances this term. Patterson - who joined the Toffees from Rangers in a £11.5million switch three years ago - has yet to feature since Moyes returned to Goodison Park for his second stint as manager in January.
But after overcoming his latest hamstring setback, Moyes hopes his fellow Scot can stay injury-free and make the right-back position his own before the end of the campaign. He said: "I know he needs to step up, and I want him to step up.
"He’s Scottish as well, so we need all the players we can get. I’m hoping in the next month or two we can get the chance to work a bit closer with him.
"He has had a few injuries and has been out for the last four-six weeks and you miss out on the training, the coaching and the opportunities to be around the group. He needs to be looking to step up; he certainly does."