Seamus Coleman has responded to the praise that came his way from Frank Lampard, insisting he has not taken too much notice of the kinds words spoken by the Everton boss.
After the Blues secured their Premier League status courtesy of a dramatic turnaround at home to Crystal Palace, Lampard singled out the Toffees' captain in the dressing room after the match in front of the rest of the first-team.
With one arm around the shoulder of Coleman, the ex-Chelsea coach said: “This fella, let me just say in front of everyone, one of the best people I have ever met as a man and what you are as a player."
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Reflecting on this moment and how he felt to be spoken of in this manner, the 33-year-old told the Irish Independent : "Listen, it was a tough season for us all, a lot of emotion went into it, all season, and I think a little bit of emotion carried through into that game. Regardless of who my manager is, it’s not changed for me," he said when asked about Lampard's words.
"I’ve not tried to impress one more than the other, I just want what’s best for the team, myself, the club, my team-mates, my manager. For a manager like Frank Lampard to say that is obviously a lovely moment, it means a lot.
"I don’t think a lot of people see or understand what goes on behind the scenes, and what you really put into it. From that point of view it’s nice of him to put it out there, nice for my parents and stuff like that. For me it’s part of my job and I’m happy the season ended like it did."
Coleman's 13th season at the club has, without doubt, been his toughest to date and very nearly resulted with a first relegation on his CV as a professional player. Everton will hope to avoid a repeat of the 2021/22 campaign next term and the Republic of Ireland international has claimed this experience will serve as a major learning curve.
"It was a tough season for us all, parents, wife, kids. It was a tough grind. We got what we wanted in the end. It is not exactly what we are describing as a successful season but when you get stuck in that rut with six weeks to go, we got what we wanted. As a club we need to learn massively from it, but I’m glad I am sitting here and still a Premier League player, for sure."
