Nathan Patterson has his sights set on making it impossible for Frank Lampard not to play him ahead of his first full season at Everton. Patterson played the first 45 minutes of Everton’s 2-0 defeat before being substituted along with every other player at half-time.
Nathan Patterson said: “It was obviously tough, the first 45 minutes of pre-season, but it was enjoyable to blow out the cobwebs. It was a disappointing result but good to get the 45 minutes under the belt.”
There can be few places better than Everton for a full-back or wing-back looking to progress with club captain Seamus Coleman, Under-18s boss Leighton Baines and first-team coach Ashley Cole available to offer support and advice. Acknowledging this,
Nathan Patterson said: “They are all willing to sit down and talk to you, they are all willing to help, especially Seamus. He is great in my position. He’s always full of praise and stuff to help me with. It’s great to have Ashley by my side as well to talk me through stuff so it’s just going to benefit me for the season and my career.”
On the role, specifically of Ashley Cole,
Nathan Patterson said: “He takes the defenders in a group sometimes and does different sessions with us. And then he’ll pull you aside and just talk you through things. He’s played at the top level and he’s played against top players so he knows all the ins and outs of football and it’s great to just learn.”
Asked if Lampard had set out targets for him,
Nathan Patterson added: “Just comfort on the ball, he wants me to make things happen, be aggressive and drive the team forward and create things. That’s what I love doing, I love driving the team forward, making chances and ultimately – hopefully – getting some assists and goals this season that will push us up the league.”
