IF you have long felt there is too much football played these days, here’s another fact to add weight to your argument: international commitments meant Tim Howard had the grand total of 21 days off this summer.

After playing every minute of all of Everton’s 48 fixtures last season, Howard then went on to figure in a further seven matches, staged on three different continents, as helped the United States to the final of the Confederations Cup.

His vacation would have been much more enjoyable had he collected two winners’ medals for his efforts but, unfortunately, that was not the case and, as a result, he has had little time to lick his wounds.

That might have some Evertonians worrying that there will come a point in the new campaign when he faces burnout; but if you ask the man who works alongside him every day if that will be the case, his words are filled with reassurance.

Chris Woods has forgotten more about the art of goalkeeping than many will ever know and 11 years spent working as the club’s specialist coach means he knows what buttons to push and – more importantly – when to push them.

While Howard would, undoubtedly, have appreciated a little bit more time to unwind with his family after last season’s travails, the sight of him laughing, joking and springing around the training ground here yesterday was a welcome one.

He, after all, has become one of David Moyes’s most trusted foot soldiers and if Everton are going to match or surpass on their most recent offering, the man from New Brunswick will again be crucial to their ambitions.

“Tim is a very good professional,” Woods pointed out.

“He’s been at the Confederations Cup and had a pretty short break but the thing you look for when they come back is for them to be fresh – and he looks good.

“When you play that much football – though this may sound stupid – a staleness can creep into your game if you are not careful. It’s down to all of us that we don’t allow that to happen.

“Tim knows what he wants and, by now, I think I know what he is trying to achieve as well; I know when he needs to work hard and when I need to come off the accelerator a little bit.

“At this stage in time, it’s not about being ready for the first day; it’s about getting his technique, his sharpness, his handling up to speed at this point and things have been going well.”

A statement which also applies to Howard’s Everton career; you can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of poor games he has had since leaving Manchester United in June 2006 and last season was his best at Goodison Park.

Aside from setting a club record for Premier League clean sheets – 17 was an outstanding tally – Howard’s moment in the sun came in the FA Cup semi-final against his old club when he saved penalties in the shootout from Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov.