Everton striker Louis Saha is playing at just half his fitness peak admits Toffees defender Sylvain Distin.

The former Portsmouth man has confirmed that Saha, who is displaying some fine form with nine goals this season, is playing with a calf strain and it may be the reason he is doing so well.

"You can see how important he is. Every time he plays, he scores. It would be stupid to say we don't need him," Distin said.

"We need everybody but when you've got a player like Louis playing like he is now, even with an injury, it's amazing.

"He does impress me. It's difficult to say he is fresher because he doesn't play every game.

"All I know is I'd like to keep him half-fit and scoring every game than fully fit.

"He's a great player. You can see it every week. It must be like one game, one goal. You can't ask for more."