Sam Allardyce: 'Players must now perform'

Everton boss Sam Allardyce has insisted that his players will have no excuse not to perform following the club's warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

Everton's elimination in the early stages of the FA Cup means that the Merseyside club have not had a game since beating Crystal Palace 3-1 on February 10. As a result, Allardyce took the Toffees on a mid-season trip to Dubai.

The 63-year-old has claimed that "everybody benefited" from the trip, and he is hopeful that the break will allow his players to kick on for the final months of the 2017-18 campaign.

"I think everybody benefitted. We can hopefully reap the benefits between now and the end of the season," Allardyce told reporters.

"Players have no excuse anymore for not getting out there and performing. Performances have been pretty good since I arrived here. Who knows where we can finish now, rather than fighting against relegation."

Everton are ninth in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Watford on Saturday afternoon.