Everton manager Roberto Martinez has claimed that his team will 'hugely' benefit from not competing in the Europa League this season.
The Merseyside outfit's Premier League form was affected in the 2014-15 campaign due to the club's participation in the second-tiered European competition.
While Martinez has insisted that he wants to take the team back into Europe, he is pleased not to be dealing with the demands of the tournament.
"It's huge," the Liverpool Echo quotes Martinez as saying. "You don't just need to prepare for the Europa League now, you think about it when you are assembling your squad, making the signings and looking at the physical outputs in training.
"It affects everything. We benefited from that experience, and we want to be involved in Europe again, but I think doing it in stages is beneficial."
So far in the Premier League this season, Everton have won two, drawn two and lost one.
Danielle Joynson
