Everton forward Steven Naismith has stated that he considered leaving the club this summer as he was unsure of his place in the first XI.
The 28-year-old came on as a first-half substitute against Chelsea on Saturday before scoring a hat-trick, as his side went on to win 3-1 at Goodison Park, but the Scot has admitted that he felt his future may lie elsewhere after Norwich City had an £8m bid for the player turned down.
"When you are not playing every week it is hard to look past these opportunities [to leave the club]. But it was out of my hands because the manager said he didn't want me to leave. That was nice in a way but when you're not playing it is hard to take," Naismith told the Daily Mail.
"Things can change so quickly in football, though. Hopefully I've shown my worth to the team. At my age, you do wonder how long it is going to be before you are playing regularly again. I was still coming on in games with a good bit of time to play, so that gave me hope that I could still be here at Everton.
"When the manager said it wasn't going to happen, I knew then I had to work hard and be ready for a day like this against Chelsea. The manager said he saw me as a valuable part of the squad and wanted to keep me. Everyone has a role to play."
Naismith has scored 25 goals in 116 appearances for Everton.
Stephen Topping
