Former Everton defender Michael Ball has praised manager Marco Silva for handing the armband to young midfielder Tom Davies, describing the move as a ‘masterstroke’.
Davies has come in for some criticism after a quiet season in 2017/18 and a lacklustre start to this term, but his displays in recent weeks have picked up after he was made captain for their clashes against Arsenal and Fulham.
Ball has now highlighted that decision from Silva as an important one in helping Davies find some form for the Toffees, who have nine points from their first seven games.
In a column for the Liverpool Echo, he said: “When you’re a young player, you can go hiding. You can disappear behind the senior pros and drift through games for 10 minutes. But no matter you’re age, if you are the captain you simply cannot go missing for a second, you have to be stand up and be counted.
“Wearing the armband brings with it an added responsibility to what already comes with wearing the shirt. And giving Tom the armband in recent matches has been a masterstroke from Silva and, consequently, we are starting to see the best of Davies.
“I expect that he was emotional when he saw the armband on his peg and it’s a truly great honour for him. There’s no doubt that being captain can be a sink or swim moment but Tom is doing very well with it.”
OPINION
Ball is spot on to highlight this move from Silva as a masterstroke, with Davies’ performances definitely improving since he was handed the armband. The youngster has really struggled for the Toffees in recent months, disappearing too often in games and failing to make much of an impact at all. That was in sharp contrast to his impact when he first burst on to the scene for his boyhood club, with his solo goal against Manchester City capturing the imagination of the blue half of Merseyside. We have definitely started to see a return to that kind of form for Davies, even if he still hasn’t been making tangible contributions in terms of goals and assists. More than anything this was an extremely bold move from Silva, who has placed his faith in a 20-year-old with little leadership experience, over players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Theo Walcott. It has however turned out well so far, and it would not be a surprise to see it continue into the future.