TONY HIBBERT believes Saturday night’s glamour friendly against River Plate will provide Everton with the ideal test before they embark on another European campaign.

When the defender first broke into Everton’s team at the start of the decade, he was accustomed to starting preparations for a new season with games against lowly Austrian sides or trips north of the border.

Things, of course, have changed dramatically in the intervening years and Everton have arguably never had a more intriguing set of friendlies than the ones they will play in the next few weeks.

Of course, there are games not far from home against Championship sides Coventry City and Blackpool – and a Goodison Park clash with Malaga – but it is the games on this side of the Atlantic that have really captured the imagination.

First up is that tussle with the Buenos Aires giants in Edmonton on Saturday; with a squad that is made up solely of Argentinean players, they are sure to play football the way it is meant to be, particularly as their star man is Ariel Ortega.

He, of course, was one of Argentina’s top performers in the 1998 World Cup and the chance to lock horns with him is something Hibbert is looking forward to – but there is another reason for his excitement.

With a campaign in the Europa League starting next month, Everton’s long serving right-back feels every bit of practice is necessary if they are going to have a run similar to the one in 2007-08 and says the trip into Canada will be a worthwhile experience.

“The Premier League is world wide now,” said Hibbert.

“You can see from the positions that we have finished in that we are starting to be recognised more and more and to have a game against the MLS All-Stars is a big bonus.

“First, though, we have got River Plate and that will be another great experience. It will be a different type of football and they are a world class side.

“ It might be pre-season and it might only be a friendly but we still want to win.”

Though his last competitive appearance in a blue shirt is not one that he will remember with any great fondness, Hibbert has returned to training in a positive frame of mind and has no doubts the pain of losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup final will soon be expunged.

Watching Everton’s players being put through their paces by David Moyes and Steve Round at Seattle Sounders’ training base last night, it is clear to see they have a hunger and determination to go one step better this time around.

They also look incredibly fit and sharp and that has led practice games having an edge to them that you don’t normally find at this time of year.

“What the lads have done in their own time, I think you can see coming through,” Hibbert pointed out.

“All the work we have done so far, all the running and base work, everyone has flown through it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still hard but everyone looks fit.

“I usually just start off doing a few bits and bobs, mainly running about two weeks before we are due back. It just helps to get into it; I don’t go flat out straight away, you just make sure that you have got a bit of a core there.”

A pre-season with Moyes means that stamps are being collected on passports with great regularity now but there is a part of Hibbert that will always hanker for the comfort of home, regardless of how well Everton are looked after in the States.

That said, the chance to work in such outstanding facilities is something that the professional in him absolutely relishes and he believes another trip across the Atlantic can lead to them making a decent fist of things in the Premier League once again.

He said: “I’m a home lad, if I’m honest. I like it when we are there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to get away and get all the lads together as a team again and start all the bonding off; it’s an important time for welcoming in the new lads.

“It also helps because we have the double sessions out here; it’s harder to carry off back home because when we are here, we have the opportunity to have a good break in between training and that’s ideal.”