‘Naismith reception unsurprising’

Alex Neil was not surprised to see Steven Naismith given such a great reception by Everton fans despite playing a major role in Norwich’s 2-0 EFL Cup third-round victory at Goodison Park.

Naismith left the Toffees for the Canaries in January after three and a half years on Merseyside and his old fans have certainly not forgotten the hard-working Scot.

The 30-year-old was applauded by all sides of the ground during the defeat when his name was announced and, more unusually, it was the same after he finished off a counter-attack to give Norwich the lead against the run of play with a left-footed shot that flew into the top corner via a deflection off his right leg.

Norwich manager Neil said: “I think it speaks volumes of Steven as a lad. It doesn’t happen for every player when they go back, a lot of them get booed and get stick. They obviously hold him in high regard.

“He’s a really good lad, he works extremely hard, he’s honest and I think certainly most fans, if there’s an honesty about a player and you know that he’s going to …

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