New contract for Coleman as Moyes looks for more bargains

Everton manager David Moyes rewarded defender Seamus Coleman with a new five and half year deal and then expressed his hope there were more bargains like him to be found in the lower leagues.

The 22-year-old cost the Toffees £60,000 when they bought him from Sligo Rovers in January 2009 and his progress since has seen him establish himself in the first-team squad. That development – and the potential for significantly more – saw Moyes tie the Irishman down to a new five-and-a-half-year contract.

“He deserves it as he’s worked really hard since the early days when we brought him in from Ireland,” said the Scot.

“Seamus is one of the young boys. He is improving. He came as a right-back and we’ve used him wide right and he has got his chance to settle in and I feel I can use him in eitherposition.

“He’s a long way to go to get to Leighton Baines’ (who has been a permanent fixture on Everton’s left for years) standard at the moment but that’s why we’ve kept him for a long time because we think there’s a chance of good improvement.

“Hopefully he will continue to improve. You need a good work ethic and Seamus has that. We got him for very little money and it was great business by our scouts to spot him and bring him in.”

On the trawl for players in the lower leagues, Moyes added: “You have to hope (it is worth the gamble) because if they don’t come from the leagues below that means they are already at a club academy.

“If you are a player in the Championship, League One or Two or in Ireland you have to hope the scouts are out watching and you can play well enough to get recognised.

“Seamus did that a few years ago and that’s how he’s earned himself another contract here.

“Our own academy develops its own players as well, we have to do that, but you still have to be looking to try to find talent from the lower leagues.”

Coleman, currently outinjured with a hamstringproblem which has forced him to miss three matches, islooking forward to celebrating his new deal with a swiftreturn to first-team action.

“It is never nice to miss games through injury,” he told evertontv.

“I’ve a little hamstring injury, so hopefully I’ll be back in the next couple of games.

“But we are all a team.Everyone is going in the same direction and whoever is on the pitch playing you want to see them do well.

“Hopefully we can kick on and go far this season.

“I am going to keep working hard and improving every day in training and impress the manager.

“For him to want me atthe club for so long is great confidence for myself and I have to pay him back every day on the training field.”

Meanwhile, Everton are set to be without Darron Gibson for a month after themidfielder was sidelined by a thigh strain.

The Republic of Irelandinternational missed Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea and afterwards Moyes said he expected the player to be out for a while.

Yesterday the manager was able to put a more specific timescale on Gibson’s absence.

“I think he’s going to be out for about four weeks,” said the Scot.

The 25-year-old spent more than two months on thesidelines earlier in the season with a similar problem.

He missed 10 Premier League matches as a result and a further absence is a significant blow to Everton as he has been one of their key players since arriving in January.