Sam Allardyce has told Everton’s strikers that Oumar Niasse remains his first-choice option.
Niasse scored his seventh goal of the season in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace as his Goodison Park redemption story continues to gather momentum.
Allardyce’s predecessor Ronald Koeman froze out the Senegal international last term only to recall him after the Blues failed to land a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
He is currently averaging a goal every 120 minutes and has been a key factor in Everton escaping the Premier League’s relegation zone since Allardyce’s arrival.
Niasse’s current form has seen fellow strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and January signing Cenk Tosun struggle for regular first-team football in recent weeks.
And Allardyce says that the pair will have to wait for their chance.
He said: “The one thing he (Niasse) did, that he should have done against Leicester, was score.
“It was a very good header at an important time. His hold-up play and his work-rate were good.
“He has got competition – obviously Cenk’s very disappointed that he is not playing – but when somebody up front is doing the job as well as he can and making an impression on the team, then Dominic and Cenk have to be a little bit more patient.
“Oumar’s goals-per-game ratio is good and he appears, at the moment, to be the best player to score goals for us.
“His contribution on Saturday helped us and, as a team, we now have to keep up that home form. The one thing we need to get better is the away results.”