Abdoulaye Doucoure has pledged his commitment to Everton.

The midfielder says he won't be part of Mali's Africa Cup of Nations squad.

“No, at the moment, I don't think I'm going to make the Africa Nations Cup, to be honest," he told the Liverpool Echo.

“I think I'm going to stay here in an Everton shirt. I don't want to go. It's not a big, big decision because I went only one time for the Mali national team.

"I want to focus really on my career and on the club. I have all the respect for my country, but I am going to stay here."

Before he added on his new deal: “I've been in tough moments, to be honest. It was very hard for me, but I never give up.

“Nobody can break me. I'm still here, fighting for the club. I have my new contract, so I'm very happy. The new manager came and put me back in. Everyone in the club loves me.

“All of my career, I was always playing. I only had this problem with the previous manager, which wasn't working. I'm still here, still happy, still alive and looking for more.

“The priority was always to stay, but I was at the end of the contract, and Everton had to make a decision. In the end, it worked well because my wish was always to stay, and we found a good agreement."