Former AZ Alkmaar defender Gretar Steinsson is convinced Marcel Brands will be a success with Everton.

Steinsson played for the new Everton sports chief at AZ.

He told evertonfc.com: "Marcel is a good man and very focused and driven. Everywhere he goes he is highly respected.

“He is coming into a different environment in England, where the managerial structure has been established for a great number of years.

“But he is doing something he is passionate about and is one of the best in Europe.

“The Evertonians are very passionate and demanding, they want the best and to compete with the best.

“And I am very excited to see what this club can achieve in the next five or 10 years – not just one year, it takes a long time to build a football club alongside a team.

“The job is not to just create one successful season but to sustain it for a long period of time and do something big for the passionate Evertonians.

“You want to bring through your own players and build a team. At AZ we brought through a lot of great players and it was the same at PSV.

“I really like the youth that has come through at Everton over the past five or 10 years. It has been amazing. To see those players competing against the best week in, week out is a great achievement for everyone at Everton."