And asked if he would consider another loan move away from Everton, the player added: “Definitely. Obviously my main aim is to get in the Everton first team, but to do that I need to go out on loan, so that’s what I’ll do and try to take my opportunities.

“There are loads of examples of people who’ve dropped down a level and it’s helped them become better at this level and the end aim is to get into the first team here.

“If that means playing in the reserves and scoring goals there, I’ll do that. If it means going elsewhere, I’ll go on loan and give it my all.

“I felt really good in pre-season. Pre-season is all about getting your fitness up and I felt like I was probably fitter than I had been in the past. So it was frustrating. But it’s important to just keep strong and get my body to the best condition I can. Then I can get that fitness again.”

Vaughan’s late appearance on Sunday couldn’t prevent Everton from being held to another home draw, with the Goodison outfit just two points ahead of the relegation zone.

But the striker said: “I think we’re in a very false position at the moment. We’ve been unfortunate. If you take out five or six of any team’s best players, they are going to struggle and that’s what’s happened to us.

“The lads who have filled in have done really well but we do need our key players back and hopefully then we can push up the league table.”