David Moyes hails Nikica Jelavic's impact

Everton boss David Moyes has praised the impact of Nikica's Jelavic's arrival at the club, claiming that he has given everything a "great lift".

Jelavic scored nine goals in 10 Premier League starts following his January transfer from Rangers to Merseyside.

Moyes also said that the Crotia forward's form raised the level of performances around him. However, he admitted that he needed some convincing by David Weir when it came to signing the 26-year-old.

"What Jelavic did was make every player about 10% better," the Scot told Everton's official website. "Every one of them knew they could play the ball into the box and we would have a chance of scoring. They could use him to link up and he gave us a great lift.

"I watched him twice for Rangers against Celtic and wasn't entirely sure, he hadn't played that well in the games. But I brought David Weir back into the club and he kept talking to me about him and in the end we rustled up the cash. He has exceeded expectations.

"But what we want to do is build a good team at Everton. We have done [in the past] and we will continue to do so."

Jelavic featured in Euro 2012 for Croatia, who were knocked out in the group stage.