Ashley Williams believes serial winner Wayne Rooney is driven by an ambition to demolish Everton ’s reputation as nearly men.
Williams insists that the former England captain is already proving that he hasn’t gone home to wind down his career on easy street.
Rooney, who last week called time on his international career after scoring 53 goals in 119 games, has found the back of the net in successive Premier League matches as the Toffees opened the season with victory over Stoke and a draw at Manchester City.
And as Welsh defender Williams looked ahead to Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, he said: “Wayne has always been a winner — and he wants to win with Everton.
"He has come in and had a great attitude straight away. He is using his great experience to help the lads who haven’t been to the places in football that he’s been. Wayne has been superb around the place. He has fitted straight in and it’s definitely not feet-up time for him.
“He’s been working hard every day and really pushing the team. Wayne doesn’t look like a player coming to the end of his career in training either — even in the pre-season games he was brilliant.”
Everton are unbeaten in their first six matches of the campaign at home and abroad — and face Italy's Atalanta, Apollon Limassol of Cyprus and French side Lyon in Group E of the Europa League.
Ronald Koeman is looking to challenge for a top-four place this season, but the European tournament can provide an alternative route into the Champions League.
Williams said: “I don’t know if we’ve thought of it as a way into the Champions League but the gaffer will want to win it because he is a born winner.
“It’s always going to be tough to break into the top four, but the pleasing thing to come out of the Man City game was that we were disappointed just to get one point.
“Now we go to Chelsea and there is no reason for us to fear going to big grounds. If we want to make the next step that’s what we want to do.
“Some people outside the club are saying we will finish seventh again – and that’s OK. It gives us an aim. As a group we want to do better than last season.
“I have never really seen a team with so many potential captains in it.”