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Michael Keane is trying to finish the latest box set on his list.

He is close to getting to the end of the current series of American drama Billions but as Marco Silva's puts the Everton squad through their paces at altitude in Austria, the defender is having to use his spare time for more important matters.

Namely, rest.

Some of the squad have brought their Playstation with them, others battle it out at table tennis in the team's Irdning hotel but Silva's sessions have been so intense that for the 25-year-old a power nap has to be the priority, not the next episode.

Keane describes himself as “refreshed” after a summer break, is talking like a man with a point to prove and has, clearly, been impressed by the ideas and methods of Everton's new manager.

He is not alone in being struck by Silva's work so far.

But surprisingly for a coach with a well-earned reputation for wanting to play attacking football, the manager's Austrian training camp has featured a lot of defensive work.

“There are fine details which will change from game to game but we've been working a lot on the defensive side of play because that's the base of any team performance,” Keane told the ECHO.

“More with the ball will come but there has been a focus on defence, defending as a unit which is really good and we've been set things, as defenders, you can go back and look at and analyse your game.

“We have been working a lot as units and as defenders we've all got a good idea of what is expected of us on the pitch.”

“Training has been really good, enjoyable and intense from the first day” he added.

“We've worked really hard which helps lay the foundations for the season and there were probably stages of last season as a team where we weren't fit enough and the manager and his staff are making sure we definitely are this season.”

Ask those who have worked with Silva previously, or who are under his guidance now, and they invariably talk about how 'intense' things are.

But that, as Keane explains, is an atmosphere which the players have liked.

“Every little drill you do there are a lot specific movements – getting up to the ball, getting back in," he said.

“It's all really sharp, it might go on for a long time which makes it hard but at this stage is what is needed.

"But everything is really sharp and you never just going half hearted through a bit of a session, everyone is at it all the time and that's the way it should be. It helps you improve your fitness but your quality on the ball as well because you are always training as if you are playing a match.”

Keane says Silva is warm and friendly but has quickly commanded the respect of the players.

He continued: “He's really nice, he seems really approachable, really friendly, as have all his staff, but at the same time he puts his message across on the pitch really well.

“Tactically, it's still early days, but everyone is getting to know their roles and what's expected of them. That will come more the more more games we play in the pre-season and the more we train but, so far, it's been really good.”

Keane arrived at Everton last summer in a £25m deal and with a tide of expectation behind his move from Burnley.

He shared that belief and talks openly about how the disappointment of an inconsistent debut season, hampered by a recurring foot injury, is fuelling his desire to prove his worth this term.

“It was definitely an up and down season," he conceded.

"Going into the season I was full of confidence and it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. But I don't think that was just me, it would be for quite a few players, there were big chances throughout the club throughout the season, we had three different managers. And when it's not stable it doesn't help, but the players have got to take some of the blame for that as well.

“Going into this season, I've had a good break over the summer, I'm really refreshed and looking forward to the season. I know I can do much better, consistently, than I showed last year and hopefully I can do that.”

A gash first opened in Keane's foot when he was on the end of an x-rated challenge by Everton old-boy James Vaughan in the Caraboa Cup game with Sunderland at Goodison.

The wound would re-open and eventually an infection would force him into hospital and then require him to play with painkilling injections.

A strong, and injury free, end to the season offered Keane encouragement for the new term but it wasn't enough for him to book a seat on the plane to Russia.

“I was really disappointed not to be in the England squad but I'm realistic and my performances hadn't been consistent enough to warrant a place in the squad” he said.

“I thought I had a chance, I definitely thought I was close to being called up and was in their thoughts but I obviously wasn't good enough throughout the season. I know, deep down, I am good enough to get in there and that is my aim but, first and foremost, you have got to play well for your club and that is my main target but, in the back of my head, I want to get back in the England team.”