Thursday 18 February 2016 12:18, UK
Roberto Martinez has refused to discuss Tim Howard's future at Everton amid doubts over whether he will be offered a new contract.
The American goalkeeper has been at Goodison Park since joining permanently from Manchester United in 2007 after a successful loan spell.
But the 36-year-old has had a mixed season and recently lost his place in the team to Joel Robles, who will start this weekend's FA Cup tie against Bournemouth.
Howard's current deal ends in the summer and whether he is likely to remain on Merseyside in the long run remains unclear.
Martinez has paid tribute to his contribution but will not say what is likely to happen next. He said: "Tim is one of those foreign footballers who has brought so much to the Premier League.
"It is not normal to get a foreign player to get so attached to a football club, especially in the modern game.
"To have 10 seasons like Tim is having now is an incredible contribution and all I'm focused on is making sure he gets back to his best level and finishes the season strong.
"Whatever happens in the future, I don't think it is the right moment to speak about it now."
Everton have struggled at Goodison Park this season and after a brief improvement which saw three 3-0 wins recorded, last week's 1-0 reverse to out-of-form West Brom was a setback.
Supporters booed Martinez's decision to take off Aaron Lennon in that game and he appreciates their feelings.
The Spaniard added: "It is not concerning because we are all sharing the same feeling. We were the first ones to be frustrated and disappointed with what we were seeing.
"We were seeing a team dominating constantly and creating chances and sometimes it would be the crossbar or the post or not being able to find the back of the net.
"Sometimes it was well defended by the opposition. We wanted to get what the performance deserved but we couldn't."
