David Moyes believes his players deserve the opportunity to bond away from the spotlight after turning Everton’s season around over the last few weeks.
They are now 15 points away from the drop zone after a seven-game unbeaten run that continued when Jake O’Brien’s late header sealed a valuable 1-1 draw at Brentford, and now have a weekend off after being dumped out of this season’s FA Cup by Bournemouth.
The squad heads to the United Arab Emirates for a warm weather training camp. For Moyes, the trip will enable him to work with his players in a more informal setting and away from the pressure they have endured through a busy set of fixtures that, at first, were played against a backdrop of real fears over the potential loss of the club’s Premier League status. For the players, it will be a welcome break and a rest.
He said: “We’re going to train away for a few days now. I think, not so much me, but I think the players at Everton have worked really hard and had a lot of rubbish to deal with.
“So I’m going to go and try and train with them and have a few days in the sun if we can.
“Team spirit is hugely important. Over the years, I’ve always encouraged team spirit. We need players who are going to look after each other, fight for each other.
“I need them to get to understand me a little bit and how we work. We can be tough when the work’s getting done but obviously then there’s another side to us as well when we’re not.
“Also, the players have had a tough year where we’re into the last third of the season now.
“To be fair to all the players, probably they’ve found it really difficult not just maybe over the last six months but maybe over the last couple of years.
“So it’s a little bit of a chance for them to have some leisure time as well which is good for them.”