Donny van de Beek believes he is more suited to playing in the 'number eight' role in the Premier League and described his Goodison Park debut as an 'amazing day'.
The midfielder joined Everton on loan from Manchester United on transfer deadline day last month, having found regular game time hard to come by at Old Trafford.
Van de Beek made his Blues debut off the bench in the 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United last week, before starting in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Leeds United.
However, much was made about Van de Beek’s best position following his move to Everton having featured in numerous roles in midfield for United.
But speaking after the Blues’ win over Marcelo Bielsa’s side, the Dutchman explained how although he can play a number of different positions, he believes his best is the 'number eight' role.
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“I think I can play in different positions and I like to play in the Premier League as a number eight, box-to-box,” Van de Beek told evertontv.
“The manager wants me to bring some quality with the ball, to link-up in midfield. He expects a lot from me and I expect a lot from myself. I am really happy with the first two weeks.
“We knew we had to play better than against Newcastle – and from the training and the people at the Club and what I saw against Leeds and the fans, I am really happy to be here.
“I think we need to put passion in our game, everyone knows we are not in the spot we have to be and it is only one game. It is a long way to go until the end. We have an important game at Southampton on Saturday and have to win it.
“These three points give us confidence and from that we can build and improve.”
The win over Leeds moved Everton five points clear of the drop zone in their battle to stave off the threat of relegation.
Goodison Park was back to its most hostile best for the game, with supporters certainly doing their bit to lift Frank Lampard’s side.
“It was an amazing day and a good start for me. We played really well from the first minute to the end – and we really needed this,” Van de Beek said on his first Everton at Goodison.
“But it was not only us, the fans really made the difference. The atmosphere was so amazing and I enjoyed that.
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“I am really happy to play 90 minutes, but in the last 20 minutes I felt it was a long time ago that I played a full game and I was a little bit tired. But now I can make steps.
“I think I can help the team but still there is space for improvement. I was sharp, took many balls and made some good decisions on the ball – but I am always critical and always can do better.
“I am happy to play my first game – but it is not about me, it is about winning games for the Club and the team and I am here to help.”
Anthony Gordon was again a standout performer for the Blues, and Van de Beek believes the Everton youngster certainly has a lot of qualities at his disposal.
He said: “He is a good player, a young player but from what I have seen in the first weeks he has a lot of qualities and he showed those against Leeds.”
Before he concluded: "But everyone, not only one or two players, were good and important – and it should be like that.
“It was a good effort from ourselves and the atmosphere was so impressive and made a big difference. Now we have to improve every week to go up in the table.”
