Silva praises Holgate for his ‘focus’ – could the defender force himself into his plans?

Marco Silva has revealed that Mason Holgate finished the game against Sheffield Wednesday struggling physically, while he also praised the defender.

Holgate started against the Owls in the Carabao Cup clash, his second start of the season (first was v Lincoln City), playing the full 90 as the Toffees won 2-0 to progress to the next round.

The England youth international is attempting to prove to Silva that he deserves a bigger part to play in the manager’s plans, having thus far being used as a back-up or rotation option.

His performance against the Championship won’t have done his claim any harm, as Silva was impressed by the man deputising for Michael Keane.

Talking to evertontv, Silva explained that Holgate showed the quality that he needs to against Wednesday. Silva said:

Mason had a good game also which was important.

He finished the game with some physical difficulties but he did well and showed that quality that I know he has but more important, he showed the focus he needs to.

With just three centre backs at the club currently in Holgate, Keane and Yerry Mina, the 22-year old’s performance will give Silva food for thought going into the next few Premier League fixtures, especially with Everton’s defence looking less than compact in recent games.

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I’ve always admitted to being a fan of Holgate’s, so I’m glad to hear that he is impressing Silva. Right now a spot in the starting line-up looks blocked, with Yerry and Michael Keane doing enough to retain their places.

However, neither have nailed down their position, and with nothing set in stone there is space for Holgate to potentially muscle his way into Silva’s team.

Consistency has always been Holgate’s issue, and should he be able to continue working on eradicating that from his game, he may have a significant part to play this season.