Roberto Martinez doesn’t believe Leighton Baines will have been affected by transfer speculation over the summer
Baines is believed to have been interested in the prospect of Champions League football at Old Trafford but was never going to agitate for a move away from a club he holds in high esteem. And any chance his fine form for the Blues could suffer after the period of doubt over his future has been dismissed by Martinez.
“We need to focus on our individual and collective targets now, and it will help that we go back to normality,” said the Toffees manager.
“Leighton is a fantastic professional and a top footballer. He’s an icon for Everton and now is the time he can concentrate on his game and enjoy his football here. I think that’s what the window does, it gives clubs that instability. In any walk of life when new opportunities come along people think about new possibilities or options in your career.
“That’s natural and there is a time for that, but my problem has always been that with the current set-up the window happens while games are being played. Now everyone has got to focus and Leighton is one of the big, big players we have at the club.”
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