New Everton Boss Silva Eyes Commitment and Desire from Players

Former Watford and Hull City boss Silva was announced on Thursday, the 40-year-old replacing Sam Allardyce who left the club after six months in charge at Goodison Park.

"It is important to talk about desire," Silva, who signed a three-year deal, told Everton's website.

"When you talk about desire, you can talk about ambition, commitment and attitude – all these things that you can expect are important in our team."

Allardyce had replaced sacked Dutch manager Ronald Koeman in November with the club 13th and five points above the relegation zone despite heavy spending on players in the summer.

The former England manager brought results and guided Everton to eighth in the league last season but fans were largely unhappy with his style of play.

"My style is to play to win matches," added Silva, whose previous teams have shown plenty of attacking flair.

"It is clear that if we play better than our opponent, if we have better football, then we are closer to winning the match.

Silva was sacked by Watford in January, with the club blaming Everton for their "unwarranted approach" for him last November. However, the Portuguese is keen to move ahead after finally securing the Everton job.

"I know the responsibility of being Everton manager. I know what is behind me, I know the big-club history and what the fans expect," he said.

"That is really important for me and important to feel that confidence in my work."

REUTERS