Everton Under-23s defender Con Ouzounidis says the unstinting backing of the young Blues coaches and backroom staff has been key to his commanding performances since returning from injury.
The Australian youth international was sidelined for more than three months after suffering ankle ligament damage and then sustaining an Achilles problem.
Ouzounidis made his comeback as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on 22 November and has remained a fixture in David Unsworth’s team, playing the past seven matches for the reigning Premier League 2 champions, who host Arsenal at Southport FC on Monday (7pm).
The 20-year-old’s strength, aerial ability and positional awareness have consistently impressed as he has delivered series of polished defensive displays.
Ouzounidis admits missing a prolonged period provided a difficult mental test but explained how the Toffees coaching team – which consists of former Blues Unsworth, assistant manager John Ebbrell and coach Francis Jeffers – and the Under-23s’ support staff have helped him return a stronger player.
“When you’re injured, seeing the lads go out to train, you’re like ‘I want to be out there’,” he told evertonfc.com. “You’re in the physio room and you can’t do anything about it.
“It is very tough mentally and the physios picked up on that, [Under-23 player care officer] Mike Dickinson, too. I had a chat with them and with the coaches and they were so helpful. They have been there themselves and they knew what I was going through.
“They told me not to worry too much, that this can happen in football, and to get my head down and come back stronger.
“Since coming on as a sub against Spurs, I’ve done well and stayed in the team.
“Physically, I feel great. That’s down to the physios doing the work with me over that period. I feel a lot quicker. It’s been good since I’ve come back.”
Ouzoundis believes his game has significantly progressed this season and paid tribute to the varied coaching expertise provided by Unsworth, Ebbrell and Jeffers.
The trio made a combined total of 697 first-team appearances for Everton and Ouzounidis explained how they pass on their vast experience to the Blues’ emerging talents.
“I’ve been working a lot with Unsy on the defensive side of my game,” he said.
“We’ve been working on aspects like my heading and one v one defending.
“He’s a great at the club and been there and done it all. He’s taken me under his wing and given me a lot of advice that I’ve tried to take on board and implement into my own game.
“It looks like it is paying off, because I feel like I am playing well.
“The good aspect we’ve got with the Under-23s coaching set-up is we’ve got Unsy who was a defender, Franny who was a forward and John Ebbrell who was a midfielder, so you have the best of all worlds.
“When Unsy works with the defenders, you listen, because of what he’s done in the game. And you can also go to Franny, as a forward, to get his perspective on certain game situations.
“It’s great for all of us in the squad.”
Next up for Ouzounidis and Everton Under-23s is Monday's Premier League 2 showdown against Arsenal, with the game kicking off a run of four home matches in a row for the Toffees.
Everton head into the game sixth in the table, two places and seven points behind Arsenal, although the young Blues have a game in hand.
Season Ticket, Lounge and Official Members can attend the game FOR FREE. For other supporters, tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for concessions.
“It’s always a very good game against Arsenal,” said Ouzounidis. “They will have a good team, but we’ve trained really, really well leading up to the game.
“We’ve had some injuries over the past few months and, with some lads like Anthony Gordon stepping up to be with the first team, we’ve had a very young squad.
“To be fair, the younger lads who have stepped in have done well for us.
“I think now, with the players coming from injury, we’ll start settling ourselves down and hopefully we can hit a good run of form and climb the table.”
