27-year old defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye faced off against Manchester United on Sunday evening, a club he has often openly proclaimed his love for. Speaking before the match, he said, “I have always supported them. I adore them,” the Senegalese had said back when he was at Lille. And even today, none of his feelings towards his favourite club has been forgotten.
“Of course it’s not something which will bother me during the match. It’s something I said at the time,” he said when asked about being a United supporter.
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“I’m an Everton player and I’m happy to be that. It’s a big club which suits me and my goal here is to give the very best I can to this club to help them achieve the highest levels. I’m very well settled in. I’m very happy here and my priority is to help Everton get back to winning ways.”
“It’s a thrill to face the big teams. It’s important we concentrate on ourselves, on our performances on the pitch and set out to win.”
Idrissa Gueye has received many plaudits for his solid performances in midfield. He playing style is often likened to former Leicester City star N’Golo Kante, however, he seems to be keen to brush off the similarities and said, “He is who he is and I’m very much who I am. I am on my own path.” Kante made more tackles than him last season, but this season the Senegalese is very much in the lead.
Gueye has come a long way from his childhood in Dakar, Senegal. He made a 7.1 million pound move from Aston Villa to Everton in the summer, a transfer which has proven to be very shrewd. His relentless energy and constant movement makes him the engine of the team and the Toffees have instantly taken a liking to him because of his persistence and hard-work.
When told about Everton fans seeing him as a cult hero, he modestly replied, “Cult hero is perhaps putting it a bit strongly. Hero is a big word. I would describe myself as a player who is willing to put in my shift and express myself on the pitch.”
Whether Gueye considers himself a hero or not, Everton fans surely do, and are delighted by the amount of energy he brings onto the field, and the way he has seamlessly adapted into a new team. Despite playing against United this evening, a team he is so fond of, Gueye did his best to make sure of an Everton comeback in the game, which eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.
