Marco Silva insists Everton would not be hindered by playing in the Europa League next season.
Friday’s final home game of the campaign against Burnley brings the subject into sharp focus as the visitors struggled after their early-season continental exploits.
Sean Dyche’s side have preserved their Premier League status but only after arresting a dismal run of form in the first half of this term.
With the Blues still mathematically in the hunt for a Europa League spot, Silva has rebuffed suggestions that his players would be handicapped by it.
He said: “It will never be a problem for us. It’s not the moment for us to talk about if Everton qualify or not.
“We have to keep doing our job, fighting to achieve the points and afer we will see the position in the table. It’s not something just in our hands. The competition is tight.
“For us as a club, it has to be our aim and we have to be always playing in European competitions.
“Let’s see what we can do, but our aim, 100%, has to be to play in Europe every single season to keep growing as a club.
“It always has to be a pleasure, a fantastic challenge and not a problem. If it happens, we will have to prepare ourselves and a deep squad.”