FEW players can have tried the patience of Everton FC manager David Moyes quite as much as Victor Anichebe during recent years.

Time and again, the Everton FC manager has spoken of the need to place the proverbial rocket up the backside of the striker in an effort to bring the best out of him.

Given Anichebe’s wretched run of injuries and less than prolific scoring record – eight Premier League goals in six years tells its own story – it would have been easy for Everton to cut their losses on the Nigerian.

Moyes, though, has never wavered, and was rewarded on Sunday when Anichebe stepped off the bench to mark his latest comeback with a dramatic late winner at West Bromwich Albion.

And now the Goodison manager has challenged the 23-year-old to keep on justifying the faith of the club.

“It would have been easy with Victor to say ‘hey, go on, you’re going to have to go’,” says Moyes.

“He has had a couple of bad injuries. But the staff around him have got a lot of faith in him.

“He is a good boy, he needs a shake to keep him alive at times.

“But he has got attributes that are important and we have played him in some big games. He has been useful to us.

“I don’t see us giving up on him. We are not going to do that. He needs to give us something back now so we can keep believing in him and pushing him on.”

Confidence has been an issue for Anichebe ever since his debut as a 17-year-old in an FA Cup tie against Chelsea in January 2006.

Moyes spoke at the weekend of trying to unwrap the potential of the forward, who missed four months of the campaign after suffering a serious groin injury while on international duty in September.

And the manager says: “Victor does lack belief and he needs support. I hope that he gets the support from me and the staff here. I think we do give it to him. He needs to accept that and take it on board, give a bit back himself.

“I’m just generally trying to boost the boy’s self-esteem and he did well. He has got all the attributes to be a really good player. If he wants to be a top player, he has got the attributes to be one. He needs to really want it himself.”