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Everton winger Jack Harrison took advice from Frank Lampard about the importance of having an on-field ego and believes he is reaping the benefits.<\/p>\n
The rookie professional had to pluck up the courage to knock on the experienced England international\u2019s hotel room door when they were team-mates at New York City.<\/p>\n
He asked about confidence and Lampard, who was sacked as Everton manager six months before Harrison arrived, spoke to him about ego and self-belief.<\/p>\n
It is advice he has carried with him since moving back to England with Leeds and now on loan at Goodison Park.<\/p>\n
His confidence was boosted further by his maiden Everton goal \u2013 a brilliant instinctive lob over Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto \u2013 in only his third appearance in which the wise words of Lampard probably played some part.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember going to Frank\u2019s room one time, knocking on his door asking for advice on certain mentality, how to be. I sat in his room and just chatted for half-an-hour,\u201d said Harrison, who gained more valuable information after four seasons with Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think having that ego and confidence on the pitch was something that maybe challenged me a little bit. It was difficult for me to bring out.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut after talking to Frank (he said) it was something he applied to himself. When you step out on that pitch he used to tell himself he was the best player.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be in a nasty way or anything but it\u2019s definitely important to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was watching an interview Zlatan Ibrahimovic did where he said he felt like God when he was on the pitch. Maybe I\u2019m not at that level but it\u2019s nice to hear similar stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are lining up against Mo Salah you have to do your best against them. That mentality, feeling like you belong, is a big part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison\u2019s two seasons in New York playing alongside Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Silva and managed by Patrick Vieira were formative but after being brought home by Manchester City his real development came at Leeds.<\/p>\n
Bielsa\u2019s methods were so intense the 26-year-old still has \u2018flashbacks\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was beyond anything I\u2019d seen before,\u201d said Harrison ahead of Saturday\u2019s Merseyside derby.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause everything was so regimented and we were working so hard the three years almost flew by. I don\u2019t think in all of that time I took a step back to really enjoy playing with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking back now, I just wish I enjoyed it a little bit more in the moment but I\u2019m super grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has made me the player I am today working with him, building those foundations when I first came back to England.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what the standard is. If I\u2019m ever struggling or lose sight of where I need to be, I can always go back to that time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSometimes even on a day off I will have in the back of my mind, \u2018OK, I need to do something today.\u2019 Some of the guys here (at Everton) will say \u2018Bielsa has drilled you so much\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a good kind of characteristic to have in your back pocket just in case you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For all the football input the biggest influence on his career is mum Debbie, who took him away from Liverpool\u2019s academy when he was a six and Manchester United\u2019s when he was 14 to send him to a United States boarding school for a better chance of success.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer providing me with that opportunity at the time was definitely outside the box. I was an only child and she was a single mother. I have to give all the credit to my mum,\u201d said Harrison.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing back to England I wanted to do everything I could to repay here for that, be it a house or a car or she doesn\u2019t have to work any more.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing to New York and playing professionally for the first time I was really thankful to my mum because there were a lot of people saying \u2018Oh why didn\u2019t you stay at Man United?\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d always had that in the back of my mind because I\u2019d seen the likes of Scott McTominay come up and absolutely smash it with the first team. I did think, \u2018What could have happened if I\u2019d stayed at United?\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as soon as I made it to New York and saw where I was it gave me a different perspective where I was able to thrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that point I thought \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter what would have happened, this is my path now\u2019. There\u2019s nothing you can do about the past so you have to keep looking forward.\u201d<\/p>\n