Maarten Stekelenburg says it felt good to be back between the sticks for Everton.
The Dutchman made his first appearance since suffering an injury in December and kept a clean sheet as the Blues drew 0-0 at West Ham United on Saturday.
Stekelenburg has had to bide his time since returning to fitness but says maturity has taught him how patience is a key part of being a goalkeeper.
“It’s nice to be back in the team. It’s been a while, four months, so it’s good to be back,” he told evertontv. “I’m a little bit older now and with a little bit more experience, so basically it’s just about keeping on training as good as you possibly can and hope your chance comes. Today that was for me.
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“It’s the fate of a goalkeeper - you play or you don’t play and there’s no in-between. That’s why it’s good to be back.
“It’s nice to have a clean sheet, especially for a goalkeeper, but the game itself, I think we have to forget it. It’s a bad game from us and we’ve done a lot better in previous games. We didn’t lose, so that’s a good thing but you want to look up. We wanted the three points today.”
Stekelenburg will be hoping he has done enough to retain his place, with Everton’s next game a massive home fixture against Premier League leaders Chelsea at Goodison Park next Sunday.
The Dutchman made his first appearance since suffering an injury in December and kept a clean sheet as the Blues drew 0-0 at West Ham United on Saturday.
Stekelenburg has had to bide his time since returning to fitness but says maturity has taught him how patience is a key part of being a goalkeeper.
“It’s nice to be back in the team. It’s been a while, four months, so it’s good to be back,” he told evertontv. “I’m a little bit older now and with a little bit more experience, so basically it’s just about keeping on training as good as you possibly can and hope your chance comes. Today that was for me.
$[{7B16926E-F9BA-4209-8D91-FCC59ED10881}]
“It’s the fate of a goalkeeper - you play or you don’t play and there’s no in-between. That’s why it’s good to be back.
“It’s nice to have a clean sheet, especially for a goalkeeper, but the game itself, I think we have to forget it. It’s a bad game from us and we’ve done a lot better in previous games. We didn’t lose, so that’s a good thing but you want to look up. We wanted the three points today.”
Stekelenburg will be hoping he has done enough to retain his place, with Everton’s next game a massive home fixture against Premier League leaders Chelsea at Goodison Park next Sunday.
He added: “The opponent is different and Chelsea have a lot of quality but if we get back on our game from the last couple of weeks and months, I think the match will be a lot better than this one.”