Osman to fill Arteta void

Everton midfielder Leon Osman is hoping to make use of Mikel Arteta’s departure to show off his creativity in the middle of the park.

The Toffees have made a solid start to the season and despite their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend, they are still in 13th place.

And Osman, who is now one of the most experienced players at the club at 30 years of age, says the combined quality of the squad is good enough to make up for the loss of Arteta, who was sold to Arsenal late in the transfer period.

When asked if the Spaniard’s move had left him with more responsibility, Osman told Everton’s official website: “Most probably, yes.”

“It is a loss that Mikel moved on but we are not going to mope about it.”

“We have got a good squad in place here and good players so we are looking forward.”

And on his role in the Everton team, Osman added: “I have found myself playing a bit more centrally, which has been good for me and hopefully I can continue to do so.”

“The more I can get on the ball the better. I am sure any footballer will tell you they want to be on the ball and I like to get on it and make things happen.”