Mikel Arteta insists his game is developing better than ever before thanks to the level of competition in the English Premiership.
The talented midfielder has been linked in the media with a return to Spain - Athletico Madrid the club widely referred to.
But Arteta has already made it clear on evertonfc.com that the story has derived from a throwaway comment ahead of the Anfield derby about a desire to play in Spain again at some point in the future.
For the time being his focus is on returning to European competition with the Blues and continuing to improve as a player as he seeks to earn a senior call-up with Spain.
He believes tough, physical contests like last weekend's draw at Sheffield United underline why the Premiership has improved him as a player.
He “You see the work rate in a game like against Sheffield United and you know that you have got to match them. You’d never find a game like that in Spain but it is really good if you can handle it, as it shows you are improving.
“You learn to play another kind of football and you become a more complete player. They worked really hard and we had to keep our concentration when they had possession. You can’t play in England or for Everton if you can’t handle the physical side."
The 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane moved Everton up into the top six for the first time in four months. Now the task facing the Blues is hanging onto an automatic European spot.
He continued: “It would be massive if we could hang on to sixth place. We have got some really important games coming up. We know the last nine games are going to be really difficult. But we have got a big chance.
“It is all in our hands now. Alan (Irvine) said that we need six wins, so hopefully that will be enough to take us where we want to be. If we could get that, it would be absolutely amazing for everyone.
“It is so important that we are playing in Europe. Not just for the players and the management but for the fans also. If we want to start building a better club and being more ambitious, we have got to be playing in Europe.
“If it meant starting in July for the Intertoto, that’s fine. It wouldn’t be great but we would accept it. Hopefully, we won’t need to play in that competition and we will get there ourselves.”
