Kevin Phillips has been speaking about Everton star Mason Holgate, as reported by Football Insider.
What did he say?
The 23-year-old signed a new contract with the Toffees that will keep him with the club until 2025, as reported by their official channels.
This comes during a season in which he has started 18 Premier League matches, coming off the bench thrice and providing three assists.
His defensive statistics are impressive, as he averages 1.6 tackles per game, while making 0.6 fouls and being dribbled past 0.3 times. In addition to that, he averages 1.1 interceptions, 3.2 clearances and 0.5 blocks.
Phillips has been full of praise for the defender: “It is always a big boost to tie a young player and get them on a long-term contract. A lot of clubs get criticised for leaving deals to the last minute, players running their contracts down. To tie someone down like that for that length of time, he is a good player, so it is a huge bonus.
“He really benefited from his loan. Players need to go out and learn their trade and be put in a different environment and good players will come through it. He has certainly shown that the loan period has done that for him. Credit to him and the club.”
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Obstacle to opportunity
It is the praise of Holgate’s reaction to going out on loan that is fairly interesting, as Phillips has suggested that his time with West Bromwich Albion last term is something he has “really benefited from”.
Holgate made 21 appearances for the Baggies during his loan for the second half of the season, as they got into the play-offs, but eventually missed out on promotion.
During that time, he got one goal and four assists, while averaging 2.7 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 2.4 clearances and 0.4 blocks.
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Before that spell, he had made just four Premier League starts and a substitute appearance during the first half of the campaign, so the game time that he got at the Hawthorns surely helped him to progress as far as he has.
Going out on loan can be seen as a sign of not being good enough by some, but Holgate used it as an opportunity to improve his game, which has definitely paid off for him.
Meanwhile, Noel Whelan has been criticising one Everton man.
