Marco Silva has told Tom Davies to ignore his ‘not important’ Everton critics.
Davies excelled in last weekend’s win over West Ham as the Blues finally arrested their barren run of four consecutive Premier League defeats.
The homegrown midfielder made only his first start of the season against the Londoners and had previously been the subject of scrutiny in some quarters.
But Silva recognises Davies’ role at Goodison Park and believes those questioning the 21-year-old should not steal focus from his abilities.
He said: “I really like Tom, not just as a football player but also as a boy.
“For me it’s really important for us as a football club to have players inside our dressing room that love the club.
“One of the main things in football of course is quality and Tom has quality. We’re still talking about a really young lad.
“Tom loves football and loves the club. He really feels Everton Football Club and what that means.
“I see him performing really well, taking his responsibility on the pitch and giving his best to the blue shirt.
“Of course [not] everyone looks at him in a fair way. We look to him as an important player for us in the present and will be in the future as well.
“It’s the most important thing to Tom and to prove his quality for us and our fans and look for nothing more, because the most important thing is here.
“The other things are not important.”