As Isaac Price tried to cool down in the heat of Sydney his thoughts were already turning to a cold winter's night date with Mansfield Town.
The teenager had just completed his second full match for Everton's senior side in four days and was once again the focus of the fanbase after another impressive performance. He was delighted, but thinking ahead already to his next opportunity to impress and further strengthen his case for more first team opportunities.
And of Everton Under-21s' Papa John's Trophy clash with Mansfield on Wednesday he told the ECHO: "I can't wait to play, they are always big games to play, against teams that are in the Football League. They always bring something different so it will be a good test for us."
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No-one in blue had a better tour than Price. The 19-year-old has had first team exposure before - making his Premier League debut in the closing 12 minutes of the final game of last season against Arsenal. But his matchday involvement had not continued into this season and as Frank Lampard overhauled his central midfield his chance to shine has been limited to Paul Tait's U21s - where he has been excellent.
He had not even expected to travel with the squad to Australia for the Sydney Super Cup but injuries and international duty cleared the way for his involvement. Lampard has since said Price was always going to get minutes against Celtic, even before Tom Davies suffered a knee injury. When he did, he excelled - Lampard hailing him as the best player on the pitch. He impressed again in the 5-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers. Speaking to the ECHO in the CommBank Stadium after the game, he said: "I'm delighted. I've got two full games in the bank, I've enjoyed it. I've had confidence while I've played - I've got confidence, the lads have given me confidence, the gaffer has given me confidence, so I'm happy."
Price said he had felt more comfortable going into the second match of the tour, explaining: "After I'd had my first full game I was coming into this game with a bit more confidence, I was receiving the ball more and getting on the ball more." The Celtic match had been the big step up for the 19-year-old who, comparing the match at the Accor Stadium to an U21s game, explained: "It was a big difference. The main thing was probably the intensity, it was non-stop, you are always going - you have always got to be an option for the ball, off the ball you have got to be running back and then going forward, so I would say the intensity was the main thing. But once you settle into it you find your feet."
Although the match with Celtic was essentially a friendly, manager Ange Postecoglou had taken it relatively seriously and started a strong side. While Everton struggled to exert control, Price remained composed throughout - including after Abdoulaye Doucoure's injury left him as the only recognised central midfielder in a midfield that had Dwight McNeil and Anthony Gordon either side of him.
The only time Price looked uneasy was after a tackle on Matt O'Riley, of which he said: "I've had a few comments that I could have been sent off for that." There were gasps when it was replayed on the giant southern screen at the ground - said to be the biggest hi-definition stadium screen in the world. Did he think he was lucky? "A booking maybe, but it weren't a red... First I looked up [at the screen], and then I heard everyone go ooohhh, and thought it could have been a naughty one."
After the game, the squad had been "buzzing" for Price, as had the supporters - though he had sought to avoid the social media adulation, explaining: "I try to keep my head down and don't listen to it too much. But I was really happy with myself, I spoke to my family back home and they were happy with me so that was the main thing."
Lampard was again full of praise for Price after the game against Western Sydney Wanderers, telling the ECHO: "I thought Isaac was great. He's had a great trip. He has matured a lot and he has deserved to play because of the way he has trained and the way he has played for the Under-21s, so he's thrown himself into the equation for the first team now."
The Australia trip represented huge progress for Price, who lost some momentum over the summer but bounced back to impress for the U21s and then deliver two standout performances Down Under. He said: "That [making his debut against Arsenal] is a dream come true for any player coming up in an academy, that's what you want to do, you want to play in the Premier League. Once I had that, that is when I had a little bit of 'come on now, kick on, get some more'.
"I went away in pre-season, it didn't quite happen for me there but I feel like I have come back now. That's the way football is. Sometimes you are doing really well, sometimes you are not doing well, it is how you manage the lows and the highs, so don't get too high when it is going well and don't get too low when it is not going well."
Lampard had always made a point of mentioning Price when asked about the promising crop of youngsters coming through at Everton. With particular excitement around Lewis Warrington and Stanley Mills after their impressive summer, the Blues boss would include Price's name in any response about the growing excitement around their development.
At the same time Price got his head down: "I just worked with the Under-21s and worked with Paul Tait. We have had a good season, we have had some good results, we have played well in both the EFL trophy and the International Cup, which we've got some great results in. [The win over Paris Saint Germain] was massive. When you play against international teams you don't know what you are coming up against, you don't have footage and stuff so you don't know what is happening - you just have to figure it out on the pitch."
After showing he could do it on a cold night at Haig Avenue, Price proved he could do it in the summer heat of Sydney. Asked what he hopes will happen next, Price said: "I want to kick on now, get more minutes and hopefully more in the Premier League. Get in the boss' team."
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