‘It is down to us’: Everton ace says he and one other player have to step up

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Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Mason Holgate has said that he and Seamus Coleman have to step up and show everyone else what Everton Football Club are all about as they try to navigate a recent poor run of form.

The Toffees haven’t been at their very best as of late, failing to win any of their last four games, but a good start to the season has left them within touching distance of the top four.

Fortunately, Holgate isn’t blind to this issue and he’s said that it’s time for the veterans within the squad to step up and make their voices heard.

“It was good to start the season like that but ultimately it wasn’t going to stay the same through the entire season,” the Blues defender said.

“It was important to not get carried away and think we were the best team ever.

“We have to stay level-headed and know how good we are as a squad and go out and prove it. It is all right everybody knowing it but you have to get three points. We all have to play our parts.

“People like me and Seamus Coleman have been here a long time, so it is down to us to show what this club is about and show that fight.

“But we all have our own parts to play, just the odd person talking isn’t going to do it.

“We need to step up as a team. It is three games, they are gone now, there is nothing we can do about them. We have to put it right going forward.”

Holgate is right that the senior players have to step up, but the fact that he sees himself as a leader in the dressing room at such a young age is great to see.

The Everton squad is filled with top stars who have played for some of the biggest teams in the world.

The likes of Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes have played for Barcelona, while Allan and James Rodriguez have played for Napoli and Real Madrid respectively.

The idea of a 24-year-old with less than 100 Premier League games to his name barking orders at these stars is somewhat bizarre, but the fact that Holgate is willing to shoulder that responsibility is a huge plus.

There very easily could have been a leadership vacuum at Everton after the departure of Leighton Baines, but Holgate looks set to step up and take up the mantle, and he wants Coleman to do the same.

It’s a bit early to say this, but Holgate is showing all of the characteristics you’d want from a captain, and perhaps that’s an avenue the Merseyside club may explore in years to come.