Soccer-Tosun ready to shake off slow start and fire for Everton
Feb 22 (Reuters) - Everton striker Cenk Tosun believes that he can put his slow start at the Merseyside club behind him and adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.
Tosun arrived from Besiktas in January on a 4-1/2 year contract with the promise of goals, but the Turkish striker is yet to find the net in his first three league appearances.
The 26-year-old was relegated to the bench in Everton's last three league matches with manager Sam Allardyce suggesting that the striker needed more time to cope with the physicality of English soccer.
"The first few weeks were difficult maybe for my body and the adjustment, but I can feel already that I'm adapting and I'm more comfortable now," Tosun told the club's website (www.evertonfc.com).
"The Premier League is more physical than how the game is played in Turkey, but I like this. I really enjoy the high-tempo of the game here. It's hard physically, it's a tough game, but I embrace this," he added.
Tosun, who had scored 14 goals in 24 appearances for Besiktas this campaign before his switch, said the club's warm-weather training camp in Dubai this week had helped him bond with his new team mates.
"I've settled in well, I really believe that. The training camp in Dubai was perfect to help me adapt even further to my new surroundings, my new club, a new league," he said.
"Team-bonding is very important and getting to know your team mates as the people they are, as individuals.
"We trained hard, with sessions on the grass followed by gym sessions and then recuperation in the late afternoons. The temperatures were hot and we worked hard each day."
Everton, who are ninth in the league with 34 points, return to league action with a trip to 11th-placed Watford on Saturday. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
