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Whilst the season hasn’t gone as well as they would have hoped so far, Everton midfielder Seamus Coleman insists that team are competitive, and that the results will come.

Everton were nearrowly beaten by a resurgent Manchester United side, who played a defensive game in order to ensure they wouldn’t be subject to the same humiliation as the week before – when they had conceded 6 to title-rivals Manchester City.

United won 1-0, but Everton had their chances, with Leighton Baines hitting the bar from a free-kick, and Velios firing just wide in the dying minutes.

“I think teams coming here know what they’re going to get,” Coleman told Radio Merseyside.

“Here at Everton we never give up and we play for the 90 minutes. Teams don’t get an easy game and we’ll be looking to do that again on Saturday.”

Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta is ineligible to play for England according to FIFA. England boss Fabio Capello and the FA thought Arteta, 28, qualified on residency grounds and the fact he had never appeared for his home country at senior level.

FIFA, though, have pointed to their article 18.1 and ruled him out of Capello’s plans, The Sun reports.

FIFA article 18. 1 (a) states: “At the time of [a player’s] first full or partial appearance in an international match in an official competition for his current Association, he must already have the nationality of the representative team for which he wishes to play.”

Arteta played for the Spanish Under-16 side in the European Championships and also in the FIFA Under-17 Championships before going on to play for Spain Under-21s.

The player encouraged the idea that he could play for England, but a FIFA spokesman said: “The rules are there for everyone to see.”

Everton are determined to hang on to defender Phil Jagielka after it was reported that Arsenal are about to bid for the defender. The Gunners were recently believed to have had a bid of £14m turned down, and Everton Hospitality Packages website claims that they are ready to return to Goodison Park with an improved offer for the former Sheffield United man.

The north London club recently signed defender Laurent Koscielny, but the non-committal nature of Sol Campbell coupled with the departures of William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre are believed to have left manager Arsene Wenger in the hunt to sign another defender.

Everton boss David Moyes is thought to be keen to hold on to the player, but it has been speculated that the lure of Champions League football could prove difficult to resist for Jagielka.

Mikel Arteta has said that he is more than happy to stay in Merseyside with Everton amid interest from Sevilla and Arsenal. The 28-year-old has repeatedly been tipped to return to La Liga and reports suggest that Sevilla have put Arteta at the top of their list of transfer targets this sumemr and are ready with a £12 million offer.

Arsenal are also said to be interested in the player, and will be even more keen if Cesc Fabregas leaves for Barcelona.

And if Arteta is given the green light to leave Everton then Manchester City are also said to have an interest in the player.

But Arteta’s agent Inaki Ibanez cast doubt on the prospect of the midfielder leaving Goodison Park this summer.

Ibanez told the Spanish press: “Everton are asking for a lot of money, so it is difficult for Mikel to exit the club.”

Everton have signed Jermaine Beckford on a four-year deal after the striker’s contract at Leeds was cancelled early.

The 26-year-old had been linked with a number of clubs after his 31 goals helped Leeds gain promotion to the Championship in the 2009/10 season.

He put in a transfer request in January but when a £1.5m bid from Newcastle was rejected soon after, he came off the list before linked to Everton.

“I want to test myself at the highest level,” said Beckford.

And the forward indicated that the influence of Toffees manager David Moyes played a major part in his decision to move to Goodison Park.

“I’ve been impressed a lot by him [Moyes],” stated Beckford. “He seems like the type of guy who will sit down and tell you where you’re going wrong, what you’re doing right and what you might need to work on.

Steven Pienaar insists he is still an Everton player amid speculation he could leave Goodison Park.

The South Africa international has had an excellent season for the Toffees and was voted the club’s player of the year on Tuesday. He is eagerly anticipating the World Cup in his home country this summer but denies that he is thinking about moving elsewhere.

“We still have one game and then off to the World Cup so I’ll come back after the World Cup,” he told Sky Sports News. “I’m still an Everton player. I’ve been waiting for a while for it and it’s finally getting closer and closer. Every day I can’t wait for it. I’m looking forward to it.”

For the first ever World Cup on African soil hosts South Africa have been drawn in Group A alongside France, Mexico and Uruguay.

Pienaar is hoping to feature in the final game of Everton’s campaign against Portsmouth, and says he is already planning for next season. “For me my league is starting now for next season,” he added on the club’s official website.

“Hopefully I can return for Portsmouth then go to the World Cup with my national team and then hopefully come back for the other games at Everton next season.

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