Unsworth believes the kids will still get a chance at Everton
Everton under 23 manager David Unsworth still believes that Evertons youngsters will still get a chance in the first team and it is up to them to prove that they are good enough.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has spent big this summer and many believe that this may hinder the young players coming through, but Unsworth firmly believes that young players will always get a chance to prove they are good enough at Everton.
“They will get the opportunity somewhere along the line, be it in a game or training,” he said.
“Ronald (Koeman) has taken a lot of the young players on tour with him to Tanzania and then onto Holland. So that’s up to them, the bar has risen and they will have to go up a level. It’s a great challenge.”
Unsworth explained that clubs are keeping their young players for longer now, due to the average age of a debut in the Premier League now being 23 years old.
“Five or six years ago we might have released an 18 or 19-year-old but I think we might keep them longer now,” he explained.
“We’ve got to treat every individual with potential as a separate case. Maybe get them out on loan, then bring them back, and tier the loans so they go to League Two, One, Championship.
“(But) Tom Davies didn’t go on loan. Matty Pennington started at Tranmere, went to League One, then the Championship. Mason (Holgate) came in from the Championship. So there are different pathways for different players. What we’ve got to do is keep them in our system for as long as we can.”
Do you believe our young players will still get a chance?
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