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In an interview with Everton's official site, winger Christian Atsu said that he was having a great loan spell with the club. "It's been amazing since I came to Everton...everyone is friendly and I'm settled with everyone now so I can just concentrate on games" he said. Atsu, 22 joined the club in August on a season-long loan deal from his parent club Chelsea following in striker, Romelu Lukaku's footsteps from last year. Like Lukaku, Atsu is hoping to earn first team playing time in order to develop into a Premier League-ready winger.
He has begun to carve out his place in the squad this season; appearing in three matches so far and starting in two of them though he has yet to be part of a winning side. With Everton's participation in Europe this season and the injuries that have affected the club so far, Atsu will have several opportunities to hone his craft in the coming months. His next shot at playing time could come as early as this Thursday as the Blues take on FK Krasnodar in Europa League Action. With Kevin Mirallas out for several weeks and Steven Pienaar still not fully fit, Roberto Martinez may call on the young Ghanaian at some point.
Atsu himself alluded to the fact that he is keen on seeing as much Europa action as possible stating that "the Europa League is very important for everyone at Everton and it's a big opportunity for me to prove myself as a player." Though young, he does have the benefit of experience. During the 2012-2013 campaign Atsu appeared in eight Champions League matches. That year, Porto advanced to the round of sixteen before being eliminated by Málaga 2-1. There are still other, more experienced options ahead of Atsu but look for him to see more of the pitch as he continues to prove himself to the manager.