Koeman hoping Everton are refreshed by trip to Dubai

Everton are making the most of their upcoming weekend off by flying out to Dubai, but manager Ronald Koeman insists the trip is far from a jolly.

After being knocked out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by reigning Premier League champions Leicester City, the Toffees don’t have another game again until Jan 25 when they welcome struggling Sunderland to Goodison Park.

However, they failed to enter this fortnight break in high spirits as they were unable to find a way past Middlesbrough on Saturday and played out a goalless draw.

But Koeman is hoping a break in Dubai can refresh his side ahead of the season’s run-in.

“We will go to Dubai,” Koeman said. “I’ve not seen the weather forecast but I hope it’s not the same as Saturday.

“We will do good training sessions in better conditions.

“We will stay together from Monday until Saturday and then we will have one week to prepare for Sunderland.

“It will be good. We have some new faces in the squad and we need to recover.”