Keane lifted by boss Marco
EVERTON boss Marco Silva admits Michael Keane needed his confidence rebuilt after a debut season to forget.
Keane, 25, endured a tough start to life on Merseyside after his £25m move from Burnley in the summer of 2017.
The defender was not the only one to struggle in a poor campaign.
But it cost Keane his place at the World Cup with England as Gareth Southgate’s side reached the semi-finals.
Silva replaced Sam Allardyce in the summer and sat down with Keane to repair his shattered confidence.
Silva said: “First, and one of the most important things in football apart from the quality, is confidence. “If you don’t have confidence, not just in football but in your job and in my job, normally you don’t perform well and you don’t show your quality. It’s easy for me to understand, maybe for you, how Michael is different now on the pitch, the decisions he takes.
“He has more confidence than the Michael that started the pre-season.
“Our defensive process is different for him than what he was used to last season as well. He is learning and he is performing very well.
“In this moment he is a different player. Even the national team coach thinks in the same way because he called him into the national team.”
Understand
Keane was back in Southgate’s team for the win over the USA and on the bench against Croatia.
Everton host Cardiff today having won four of their last six in the Premier League and held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw before the international break.
“In football you have to understand where you are in the moment,” Silva added. “Now they are enjoying what they are doing. They’re working in a good environment.”