Monday 27 October 2014 09:31, UK
Roberto Martinez said veteran striker Samuel Eto’o has set the standard for his Everton squad to follow.
The 33-year-old scored twice as the Toffees secured a much-needed 3-1 win at Burnley on Sunday and also completed 90 minutes for the second time this week, having played a full game in Thursday’s Europa League draw at Lille.
As well as that display of stamina, Martinez was also delighted with the all-round contribution of the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward.
"When he's in that type of form he can play anywhere” Martinez told Sky Sports News HQ. “I think what he brings is a real know-how, a real experience.
"I thought the performance he had today, I'm sure that everyone will speak about the goals and what he did in front of goal, but I was so pleased with the role that he had off the ball and the way he worked for the team.
"He set real standards today and I was very, very pleased.
"Two games in a week for someone with his experience was a real example of performance."
The Cameroonian himself added: "I am happy for my performance, for the two goals, but I am more happy for the team performance."
One player Martinez will be hoping will learn from Eto'o is striker Romelu Lukaku, who made a mistake in the build-up to Burnley's goal but who remains an 'exceptional' prospect for the manager.
Martinez said: "Football is a game of errors and they're going to happen. Moments where the ball bounces wrongly or you make a wrong decision, and it happened in the goal we gave away.
"You can imagine he was disappointed but that happens. What pleases me more is that from that moment on he would have never stopped until he got us back in the lead.
"He got a knock on his toe and he wasn't fully fit but he wanted to stay on the pitch as long as he could. The opposition always marks him well but the way he's growing at such a young age, he's going to be an exceptional footballer."
Everton were pegged back following the opener when Danny Ings levelled things up in the 20th minute, but Lukaku soon put Everton back in the lead and they were forced to cope with a few nervy moments before Eto'o sealed victory.
Gareth Barry admitted it was far from a vintage performance but was pleased to get the three points.
"We were delighted to get the early goal and probably took our foot off the gas a bit," said the former Aston Villa and Manchester City midfielder.
"They obviously got their goal from a mistake but we kept going and two fantastic goals from Sammy has won us the game."
