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Marco Silva has told Ademola Lookman he has "big, big potential" but won't be in the team unless he delivers consistently in training.

Lookman has made only three Premier League starts this season and was an unused substitute on Sunday as Everton saw off Chelsea at Goodison.

Silva has revealed to the ECHO that the 21-year-old has been inconsistent in training at Finch Farm this season, playing his way into the starting XI one day but then leaving the Blues boss with "doubts" 24 hours later.

The Portuguese coach admits he had expected to see Lookman progress quicker than he has this term.

Everton fought hard to keep the winger out of the clutches of RB Leipzig last summer and Silva remains convinced of the winger's ability but admits the player signed in a deal worth £11m cannot afford to drop his levels from one session to the next.

Asked what Lookman needs to do in order to hold down a place in the Everton starting XI, Silva said: "He has to be the same Lookman everyday.

“He has to be the same Lookman that has that desire.

"We know what his quality is and you know I believe in his quality since the first day I saw him so it has to be same Lookman everyday with the same desire everyday.

“He needs to understand what the coach wants coming from him, and any winger in our model, because, after that, the quality he has.

“He is a young football player but, being honest with you, I expect Ademola to be on a different level already this season.

“I keep believing, 100%, in his quality as a football player, there are no doubts about that, but what I want to see coming from him is the same desire coming from him, each day, to achieve that, to reach that level he wants and the level I believe he can play at."

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Lookman has yet to feature against the leading sides at Goodison this season.

An ankle injury kept him out for Spurs' visit in December but Silva omitted him from the squad for games with Manchester City and Liverpool.

Asked if Lookman was left out of the matches against the league's top two for defensive reasons, Silva replied:

“It is one of the things he has to improve, that is clear.

“When you play against City, you will have 30 or 40% of the ball. But when I look at my wingers, strikers or offensive midfielders, I cannot look at his defensive capabilities as the first thing.

“But against these type of teams we have to be able to answer 90 minutes of high intensity with a good knowledge about the defensive process because they obligate that."

“Maybe it was not a coincidence what has happened and I agree with you, it is one thing he clearly has to improve," the Everton manager added.

“But he also has to improve in his offensive part.

"He is trying, he is giving and what I want coming from him is more consistency in his daily work.

"I see one Lookman doing fantastic things one day and I say: 'Ok, it will be this week' and maybe the next day I have doubts.

"I don't want this because, in my opinion, he has big, big potential.”