Duffy Praises Role Models

Irishman thankful to have fellow defenders to learn from

Shane Duffy believes he has three of the best role models around.

The 20-year-old centre-half signed a new contract this week which will keep him at Goodison Park until 2015.

The towering Irishman has only made a handful of senior Everton appearances but, by learning from mentors like Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga, he reckons he is on the right path.

Duffy told evertontv: "All three of them are different but all three are brilliant.

"Johnny and Jags are internationals and Sylvain's been around for so long. I couldn't ask for better players to be learning from."

As well as being inspired by the wide-ranging qualities of the aforementioned trio, Duffy admits the taste of Premier League action he enjoyed last term has made him hungry for more.

"I enjoyed playing and took it all in my stride," he said.

"I felt alright when I was out there. Obviously I had some dodgy moments but I had some good moments too. It was brilliant to play.

"It's always good to play for Everton. The manager gave me the chance to play in pre-season to impress and I tried to take that chance.

"I've got three good centre-halves ahead of me and it's good for me to learn from them. I won't get in yet, but by learning from them every day, hopefully I can get in some day."