Tom Davies says he has relished the responsibility of being handed the Everton captaincy and insists Marco Silva is the ideal manager to help elevate his game further.
The 20-year-old Academy graduate became the Blues’ youngest ever starting skipper in the 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Rotherham United on 29 August.
He has since led out the Toffees on three more occasions, including in the back-to-back Premier League victories over Fulham and Leicester City.
Davies has thrived on being given the armband, delivering a series of impressive all-round performances in the middle of the park.
His desire to take possession – even when under pressure in the high-octane, combative environment of a Premier League midfield battle – has caught the eye, especially against Leicester.
Davies is progressive and ambitious when on the ball, too, helping to launch Everton attacks. He made 21 accurate passes in the opposition half in the 2-1 success at the King Power Stadium on Saturday – a total bettered by only livewire left flank duo Lucas Digne and Bernard.
The England Under-21 international says he has been buoyed by being handed the captaincy by boss Silva and is convinced the Blues can build on their consecutive Premier League wins after the international break.
“It’s a big honour and I’m made up with it,” said Davies. “Being captain now is making me love it even more at Everton so I just want to continue doing what I’m doing.
“Results are starting to come and we’re playing well.
“If we keep that up, hopefully we can go up the table and keep progressing.”
Davies, who turned 20 just three months ago, was the youngest in the Toffees starting XI against Leicester.
Despite his tender years, Saturday’s appearance was his 77th in the Everton first team and his accomplished display suggests this is a rapidly-maturing footballer.
Not only did his sharp, incisive passing impress against the Foxes, Davies also showcased his capacity to help thwart opposition attacks and flourish as both sides fought for supremacy in midfield.
Davies recovered possession on seven occasions and came out on top in six of the seven duels he contested.
The West Derby-born youngster believes he is perfectly placed to play his best football yet in a blue shirt and is confident Silva’s philosophy can help him to prosper.
“The manager has got a good view of the game and he knows what he wants from his team and I can see myself fitting in that,” he said.
“It’s going well so far this season and I’m just looking forward to the rest of it.
“We’ve got a few games when we come back that we can really push on in and see how good we actually are.
“The lads are doing well. It was a good win away from home at the weekend and we’ll be looking to progress from that.”
