Everton misfit hypes up his own mentality – Toffees fans may not agree

There’s lots of words we could use to describe Neal Maupay. Leader is not one of them, especially after his time at Everton.

But it seems he’s thinking differently these days. He’s recently turned 30 and, it seems, that means a complete 180 personality change for him.

The striker is back at Marseille after spending the second half of last season on loan at Spanish side Sevilla. That came after a very public falling out with Roberto de Zerbi.

The Italian coach is now at Tottenham and Maupay is looking to get back on track in France. That’s led to the former Everton to take on a leadership role.

RMC Sport say he is popular among the younger players and not regarded as an influential voice in the dressing room. That’s seen him take on a leadership role at the French club.

Mentality change

Now the striker wants to hype up his own mentality, while outlining his vision of what leadership really means.

“It’s actually been quite a while since I started playing at the top level, so I have a bit more experience, and the situation this year means we have a lot of young players with us,” he said.

“I come from a generation where I started very young myself. And perhaps the senior players—back when I started at 16—didn’t have the patience or the desire to help us youngsters. I don’t want to repeat that pattern.

“As I often tell them, the advice we give is for their benefit, so they can take the next steps and improve as quickly as possible. The sooner they grasp certain things, the sooner they’ll improve. And perhaps, instead of becoming an international player in five, six, or seven years, they could achieve that in three or four years if they understand this sooner.”

100% commitment

It seems the player who has fallen out with everyone during his career, particularly at Everton where he regularly clashed with fans in his ill-fitted time on Merseyside, has also had a personality change.

He now insists that he’s very much a team player, who is always trying to give 100% on and off the pitch.

“I’m a team player. When I do something, I always give it my all,” he added.

“On the pitch, I always give 100%. It’s the same in the dressing room. Whether I’m playing or not, I try to keep the same mentality. Of course, when I’m not playing, I’m like anyone else.

“I’m not happy about it; I want to be out there on the pitch. But I think players who don’t start a match can still play a vital role in helping their teammates and sharing what they see from the outside. For me…”