Nikola Vlasic says he is thankful for Ronald Koeman’s “faith” in him and was “very happy” to be handed a full debut in the “best competition in the world” last week.
The Croatian was rewarded for an assured, purposeful display from the bench in Everton’s Europa League encounter with Apollon Limassol when boss Koeman selected him for the Toffees’ Premier League match against Burnley.
Having previously been restricted to 10 minutes of league football following his August transfer from Hajduk Split, Vlasic was understandably delighted to get the nod to start against the Clarets – even if he was left nursing a sense of frustration over a 1-0 defeat that sent Everton into the international break on a low note.