Tyrique George relishes Everton battle for starting spot after Crystal Palace performance | OneFootball

(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Tyrique George has said he is ready to embrace the competition at Everton for a first-team place this season.

George was handed a start for the opening win over Crystal Palace on Saturday and produced an impressive performance in the 2-0 success at Hill Dickinson Stadium. No player had more shots (5) or more dribbles (3) than George across his 84 minutes on the pitch.

The 20-year-old started just one league game last season, after arriving on an initial loan deal from Chelsea in January, but hopes he has done enough to convince David Moyes that he can be a regular.

George said he was happy with his individual performance against Palace, and says the squad has 'healthy competition' in attacking areas.

"It's a good start – to get three points was really nice, but now we want to continue that positive feeling," George told evertonfc.com.

"I'm happy [with my performance]. I want to be direct, I want to beat my defender. I want to keep it going. We've got top talent in the squad. Ili [Ndiaye], of course, was really good with his assist and his performance. It's healthy competition.

"We've got quite a few young players in the squad, but I feel like we can all handle ourselves well.

"I definitely think I'm improving with every game. It gives me confidence. Obviously, I want to impress – the manager, the fans. I want to show what I can do consistently."