Idrissa Gana Gueye already sees shoots of promise in a midfield partnership with Morgan Schneiderlin - and says their French connection is helping the pair on the pitch.
The two players lined up alongside each other in an Everton shirt for the first time at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Manager Ronald Koeman decided to shuffle his central midfield at the Riverside, opting to hand former Lille man Gana his first start since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in place of
The Senegal international, a native French speaker, played alongside Schneiderlin in a holding role, with Tom Davies in a more advanced position.