Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has admitted that he considered leaving Goodison Park this summer, as the former Manchester United man had not enjoyed the best of seasons on Merseyside.
Schneiderlin was out of form for large parts of last season, with the fans often turning their backs on the £24m rated player. But after talks with relatives and new Toffees boss Marco Silva, the 15 time French international decided to stick with Everton.
When speaking to the Times, Schneiderlin said: "As well as my wife, I had a long chat with my best friends, my parents, my agent,
"They are not the type of guys who say, ‘Oh Morgan, you are the most beautiful. Oh Morgan, you are the best.’ They say [honest] things to me. I agreed with them. I didn’t have the best season.
"It eats me like crazy because the most frustrating thing is that image is not myself. I am an honest guy who works very, very hard."
The 28-year-old has made an obvious improvement this season under the new Portuguese boss, helping the Toffees in their unbeaten start to the season. Schneiderlin admitted that if he were to win over the fans, he would need to work hard for it.
He added: "I knew I had to work twice, maybe three times as hard as anyone else because I knew some people and some fans would see me in a different way.
"That is what I said to the manager. I said I was prepared to do that and that was what I have done."
Everton next face West Ham in the Premier League, which will be a good opportunity to maintain there unbeaten start as the Hammers are currently the only side in the English top flight without a point.