Lucas Digne says Everton’s players “understand exactly” what is expected from them in Marco Silva’s football model – and the manager’s thorough approach injects confidence through his team.

Left-back Digne – who captained the Club for the first time in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory at Sheffield Wednesday – joined Everton from Barcelona where he worked with Luis Enrique and plays for France under the charge of World Cup winning boss Didier Deschamps.

Ever present this term and player of the season in his debut Goodison Park campaign, Digne – who insists he can reach his peak with Everton – attributes a share of his initial success in England to Portuguese manager Silva.

“He is one of the best, no question,” Digne told evertonfc.com.

“He gives you a lot of confidence.

“We work a lot during the week. Set pieces, tactics, organisation, our system, our opponents. We work on everything.

“The manager understands his job perfectly.

“He is excellent at communicating what he wants and every player understands exactly their role.

“You can see how many players have improved under him.”

Digne’s glittering CV includes stints with Paris Saint-Germain and Roma after graduating through Lille’s academy and making his senior debut aged 18 for the Ligue 1 club.

In two years with Barcelona he added one Spanish title and two domestic cups to his double French championship success at PSG and the Under-20 World Cup he won with France six years ago.

Digne’s first Premier League campaign was an unqualified personal triumph. He claimed the Club’s supporters’ player-of-the-season prize after creating the most chances [52] of any defender in Europe’s elite five leagues and delivering a divisional-high 280 crosses.

He was a fixture in the Everton defence which recorded eight clean sheets in 11 matches as Silva's side opened a window into their potential in the closing months of last season with a run of stellar results and performances.

And asked if he could conceivably experience his career highlights at Goodison, Digne replied:

“For sure. Last season was one of my best and I want to continue like this.

“I start every season aiming to do better than the last.

“I have to improve and progress and develop myself.

“And I want better for the Club, too.

“I love to work and I love football.

“It has been my passion since I could walk.

“My job is the best in the world.

“I want to develop every day.

“If you work, you can develop yourself and do better.”

Digne’s adherence to the highest standards led Silva to describe him as “everything we expect from a football player… a fantastic example for his teammates and a pleasure to manage”.

The 26-year-old was accordingly named one of Everton’s vice-captains for this season and wore the armband as the Blues overcame Sheffield Wednesday in midweek to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.

It was an important win for Everton ahead of a visit from champions Manchester City on Saturday.

But whether in training or games and regardless of his opponents, Digne’s approach remains the same.

“If you are on the pitch, you are there to win,” he added.

“It is part of me.

“I hate to lose.

“I am like this and I don’t want to change for anything.

“I want to give myself every chance to do what I want… to push myself to achieve the maximum I can.

“I want to win everything.”