Marco Silva will implement an "intense" style of play at Everton - and set the Blues up to win every game.

Silva has vowed to use a 4-3-3 formation and ask his players to perform a high-press this season and his former player Ryan Gauld believes his old boss will have an impact at Goodison.

Gauld was a teenage prodigy - dubbed the 'Scottish Messi' - when Sporting Lisbon paid Dundee United £3m for his services in the summer of 2014.

Silva had not long taken over at the Estadio Jose Avaladae but he took the bold decision to promote Gauld from the B team into the first-team set-up, included the 18-year-old in their Champions League squad and handed him five appearances during his debut season in Portgual.

Gauld admits he found his first season difficult but has thanked Silva for his guidance and says the 40-year-old's methods and tactics will go down well with the Everton players and fans.

Ryan Gauld - Dundee United
Ryan Gauld - Dundee United

“He knows exactly what he wants from each player and what is required in each position,” Gauld said.

“He likes to play intense football. That is one of the things that ensures his teams play really good football, the demand he has for intensity.

“First and foremost, he sets up his teams really well and with the intention of winning games.

“He likes to concentrate on that attacking side. You could see that when he went to Hull. They stopped conceding so many goals but were also scoring a lot.

“He is very effective at both ends and knows exactly what he wants from his side.”

Gauld's fortunes changed when Silva was sacked at the end of the season, despite winning silverware, and he has not played for Sporting since.

“It took some time to adapt to Portuguese football and fit into the style,” Gauld told evertonfc.com .

“And Marco Silva helped me through all of that. He was great with me from the first day I arrived.

“I enjoyed it. It was a very intense pre-season but not the kind of pre-season running which players hate. Everything was with the ball and with good intentions of getting the best out of players. It was tactical and good in terms of individual fitness.

“There was far more tactical work [than in Scotland] and you enjoyed training every day, which is so important. Everyone was happy and that makes a big difference in your performances.

“He is a very positive person on the training ground. He encourages you all the time.

“And, most importantly, everyone can pick up that he knows exactly what he is talking about. Everyone respects that and likes working for a manager with his type of personality.”