Seamus Coleman has spoken about his happiness to link up with a much improved Gerard Deulofeu.
The couple ran riot down the right flank when Deulofeu spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Goodison Park from Spanish giants Barcelona.
Following a season-long loan at Sevilla last season, Deulofeu joined The Toffees in the summer for around £4.25million and it’s the defensive improvement which has impressed Coleman the most.
He told the club’s official site:
Geri had to improve defensively – because I’ll shout at him if he doesn’t get back!
In all seriousness, he is a great lad and is so willing to help out defensively,
When he came back he actually told me that he would be better defensively this season. When it comes to the right-hand side, it’s just a case of the two of us having a good partnership.
But it isn’t just defensively where the 21-year-old has improved. His end product has also undoubtedly been worked on.
He has contributed to seven goals (two goals, five assists) in 11 league appearances so far this season which is considerably better to the 2013/14 season, where he contributed to six goals (three goals, three assists) in 17 games.
At the moment, when I get the ball I just give it to Geri because he is playing unbelievably. I think he is a better player now than the one he was two years ago. He has added so much more to his game, which is a credit to him.
He used to be a winger who would always go at people, so defenders would stand off him. But now when they do, he is whipping the ball in and setting up goals for fun.
Now people don’t know whether to go tight on him or stand off him.
Because of Deulofeu’s development, Coleman has seen himself play a different role to the attacking minded one he has been used to in recent seasons.
My role has been a bit different,
When you have got someone like Geri in front of you, it’s not like you can get on the overlap every time because he himself is so fast.
He is not a link-up winger, he likes to stay wide and get at people.
So now it’s a case of me getting the ball to him and backing him up. I have no complaints with that because Geri is producing the goods.
His performances have also impressed many on the international stage, he is the highest capped player of with 24 games for the current crop of Spain U21’s and has 13 goals – making him second in the top scorers list, just two from the current highest goalscorer, Rodrigo.
