The Belgian has found himself at the centre of his new manager’s plans this season.
Everton ace Kevin Mirallas has told the Daily Mirror he is a “new player” under boss Ronald Koeman, after losing a stone in weight as part of a new training regime.
With 13 of his 23 Premier League appearances last season coming from the bench, the winger has started all three league matches under Koeman and has hailed the impact of the Dutchman in helping him to improve.
Mirallas missed out on Belgium’s Euro 2016 squad earlier in the summer and is hoping to establish himself on the international scene, despite former boss Roberto Martinez taking over the helm.
The 28-year-old fell out with the Spaniard towards the end of his tenure at Goodison Park, but he insists he is focused on moving on and progressing his game under Koeman’s stewardship.
He told the Daily Mirror: “It is going very well at the moment – I have lost six kilos and you can say I am a new player.
“I have worked hard with Ronald Koeman, the team is going well and I am riding the wave.
“He wanted me to lose weight. At first, he wanted me to lose two kilos, then two more and finally two more. So that’s when I got those famous six kilos he told me that I was good.
“I did not realise it, but when I lost the weight, he put a six kilogram weight on my back in training and I felt the big difference — in play, over the first few metres, I am better.”
Martinez’s appointment as Belgium manager was previously seen as a potential problem for Mirallas, but he has still earned a recall for Thursday’s friendly with Spain and next week’s World Cup qualifier with Cyprus after a fine run of form.
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