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Pienaar’s top return so far saw him net seven times for former club Ajax during the 2002-03 season.
And his total this season is all the more creditable given he missed a significant part of the autumn campaign through injury.
“If I get two or three more this season, it’ll be my best return of goals ever,” said Pienaar, who scored just four times during his first two seasons at Goodison. “Now my attitude is to shoot and if I miss, I miss.”
Everton face a hectic February with four big Premier League games, starting with Saturday’s visit to Mersey rivals Liverpool, and both legs of their Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon. But Pienaar reckons such an intense schedule is the best preparation for this summer’s World Cup in his home country of South Africa.
“If I can play well right up until the World Cup with just a week or 10 days off to recharge my batteries, then I’ll be at my best,” said Pienaar. “It’s all about hard work! You can’t just take your skill into a game.”
