Idrissa Gueye has explained what makes Seamus Coleman so unique and revealed what he told Amadou Onana about the Everton captain on his first day back at the club.
Everton confirmed this week that Coleman had signed a new contract that will extend his stay at Goodison Park to a remarkable fifteenth season. The full-back has made 409 appearances in all competitions for the Blues since his £60,000 move from Sligo Rovers in January 2009.
The Donegal native needs to play three more times to become the club's all-time record appearance holder in the Premier League; however, he spent the end of the last campaign in the treatment room after picking up a knee injury against Leicester City at the start of May.
The Republic of Ireland international will return to Finch Farm next week to continue his rehabilitation with the rest of Everton’s squad, and Gueye has opened up about what it is like to be around the Blues skipper and what makes him so unique.
READ MORE: Jarrad Branthwaite transfer latest as stance on Tom Heaton emerges for Everton
READ MORE: What happens in the next six weeks could define Everton's season
Speaking to evertonfc.com, he said: "I love him! Seamus, for me, is unique. Sometimes, I try to be more like him.
"I know I’m not perfect. Sometimes I can be sad, and in those situations, I keep myself to myself sometimes, rather than speaking out.
"Seamus is never like that; he always has the right words for the situation. He knows when to talk harder to bring everyone together, and he knows when he doesn’t need to do that.
"He’s not just shouting in the dressing room every time; no, he talks when he needs to talk. Sometimes in football and in life, people want to be loudest in the room, but Seamus talks when he feels like he needs to and he has something to say.
"It’s completely natural with him. I’ve never seen it in any other person I’ve met in my life."
Gueye re-joined Everton from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee last summer. The Senegal international returned to Merseyside after spending three years with the Blues from 2016 to 2019, making 108 appearances.
During his three years in the French capital, the midfielder won two league titles and four domestic cups. And even though they were no longer team-mates, that didn’t stop Gueye from staying in contact with Coleman, whom he believes is a "proper captain".
He said: "Everywhere I go, I find myself talking about Seamus... maybe he didn’t know that!
"I messaged him a lot; when I was in PSG or with the national team, I kept talking to him because I respect him so much. He really impressed me the first time I was here, and, of course, he hasn’t changed.
"The first day I arrived back at Everton, I said to Amadou [Onana], 'If you have only one guy who you know you can trust 100 percent, it’s Seamus'. He’s that guy.
"He showed me during my first few years here; I saw him doing some things, and later you would realise exactly why.
"He is a proper captain and a great player. And not only that, above all of that, above being a footballer, he is a proper human being, a great guy."
