Mason Holgate is confident of maintaining his assured pre-lockdown form when the Premier League restarts – and insists Everton can swiftly adapt to playing behind-closed-doors football.

Defender Holgate was emerging as a principal figure in Carlo Ancelotti’s team when the campaign was interrupted in March.

More than one-third of Holgate’s 60 top-flight appearances since joining Everton in August 2015 were squashed into the five-month period before football was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He sufficiently impressed manager Ancelotti to be handed a new long-term contract and received a number of favourable mentions in relation to possible England recognition.

Holgate nevertheless insists the disappointment of being stopped in in his tracks three months ago paled in comparison to the prevailing circumstances around the world.

“I felt I was in good form and when things are going well you want to play every week,” Holgate told evertonfc.com.

“Having to stop was hard but far more serious things were happening in the world. 

“I haven’t got a mindset that would allow me to feel sorry for myself.

“It’s not like I felt I was playing above my level and that I would go back and not be able to reach the same standards.

“We had tactical sessions with Davide [Ancelotti, assistant manager] when we were away, so it felt like we were continuing our work from Finch Farm.

“It was a chance for the new staff to emphasise elements they want to implement in terms of the way we play.

“There is a lot I can still do better and it was valuable watching clips with Davide and some of the other lads.

“It was an opportunity to look at various aspects of my game, you only improve how you perform by looking at different situations from different games, not by focusing on only one thing.

“I enjoyed doing it.”

Holgate was a virtual ever-present following Ancelotti’s appointment as boss in December, starting and finishing every match other than February’s home meeting with Crystal Palace when the ex-Barnsley player was rested after 16 straight Premier League appearances.

The lightning-quick nature of Holgate’s progress this term was underlined in March when he signed terms to keep him at Goodison Park until at least summer 2025.

He conceded back then that gaining the trust of a thoroughbred boss in Ancelotti was pivotal in wanting to commit to Everton.

That’s not to say Holgate doesn’t welcome a challenge for his starting position and the Yorkshireman insists Everton will need all available hands on deck for the season’s resumption.

Everton are set to embark on a run of nine matches in five weeks when football is under way again from its proposed mid-June date – and Holgate claims players with experience of age-group and reserve matches will not be fazed by performing in empty stadiums.

“We have to get used to being behind closed doors straight away and I don’t see it being an issue,” said Holgate.

“It is still a game of football and it is up to us to get our heads around it.

“Everyone has done it in their careers, you don’t play in front of big crowds until you reach the first team so it’s not something we’ve never experienced.

“Of course, it will be strange at first and we'll miss our fans but the players will be fine with it because we just want to win.

“We have nine games and all we need to concentrate on is trying to win them.

“We are going to need the entire squad.

“We are a team and know these games will come thick and fast.

“We will need each other.

“It will be hard for anyone to play nine matches in such a short period of time, we want everyone at the top of their games because that will give us a better chance every time we play.”

Holgate is back home after spending lockdown with his parents in Doncaster.

He used some of his unforeseen downtime to refresh personal goals after raising his own bar this season.

But Holgate insists there was a business-as-usual feeling at USM Finch Farm soon after Everton returned to work – although players heading home still wearing their kits directly after training is adding to his daily chores.

“It was the first time since I was 17 or 18 that I could go home and spend a lot of time with my mum and dad,” added Holgate.

“It was different for me and I liked it.

“I’m having to FaceTime them and ask what I am doing washing my kit – but it’s something I was used to in the past.

“It was good to have time to reflect while we were at home.

"I didn't overthink anything because the season is not finished but it was an opportunity to reset because my goals now are completely different from the end of last season.

“I have had conversations with the manager since coming back but not so much about football, more about what I was doing in lockdown and life in general.

“It is just good to feel we are back in a rhythm and preparing for the first game.”