Everton's players are preparing to come back to pre-season very soon, with Frank Lampard set to run his rule over the squad.
The Blues have held off on significant additions across the course of the transfer window at the time of writing, although that will change in the coming weeks - starting with the arrival of James Tarkowski in the next few days. But, a potential delay in new faces at Finch Farm could potentially give some players early opportunities to impress.
Some involved in the first team squad last season will come to the end of their contracts and will leave Everton before everyone returns to the training complex, while others will have extended breaks due to their involvement in international matches earlier this month. That could easily lead to a few academy faces being brought into the fold in the early stages of the summer at least, with a fantastic chance to impress the manager at a potentially crucial stage.
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Starting from the back, Harry Tyrer seems best-placed to catch the eye in goal. He's been a regular feature in first team training for some time, and has actually played a senior pre-season game before - lining up against Preston North End at Goodison Park in 2020. With Jordan Pickford potentially set for some further time off after his displays with England, the 20-year-old could certainly link up with Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan.
With the latter being offered a new deal, it will be interesting to see what the immediate future holds for Tyrer, with the club he has been at since he was six. He's been a consistent feature for the under-23s for some time, so whether he continues that role with the under-21s next season or is destined for a loan move will be one to keep an eye on.
In the back line, Reece Welch is someone who has also been spotted many a time in first team training over recent weeks and months after what has been a very exciting spell in the under-23s last season. He has already shown his dedication to be back in training with teammate Mathew Mallon, who could certainly have his eyes on a couple of right-back appearances after the club completed an incredible u-turn to offer him a new contract - with him initially seemingly set to join Blackburn.
Elsewhere in defence another exciting prospect to keep an eye on would certainly be Elijah Campbell, who put pen-to-paper on his first professional contract with the club earlier in the week. He's turned heads at both left-back and centre-back in recent seasons and his progression will be of interest to many fans - and potentially Lampard as well.
Moving into midfield the obvious name to bring up at this juncture is Lewis Warrington. The talented youngster spent the second half of last season on loan at Tranmere Rovers, where he adapted senior football at a League Two level with ease - getting to grips with the physicality especially quickly.
At the end of last month, he signed a new two-year deal with Everton feeling that he had been transformed into an all-round central midfielder thanks to his time away at the club. He quickly stated that his next goal was to step up to training with the first team to see if he could impress, and that opportunity could well be there early this summer - as Lampard still waits to add quality and depth to that area of the pitch.
Elsewhere in the midfield, Isaac Price will surely be looking to build on his Premier League debut which came in the last match of the season against Arsenal, as he came off the bench to make an impressive display despite the team's defeat. The manager has spoken very highly of him in the past and so it wouldn't be a surprise to see his inclusion in early summer squads.
Meanwhile Tyler Onyango's return from injury should see him able to stake a claim for some summer minutes, and Stanley Mills could also be an exciting talent looking to catch the eye of Lampard.
Further up the field, Lewis Dobbin seems the obvious contender to kick on once more after he got a few breakthroughs in the senior side last year. He was given an opportunity at Old Trafford in last year's pre-season efforts and could be looking to make an impact once more here as he targets more involvement in the future.
Charlie Whitaker is also someone who got opportunities last summer and early into the season, but an injury kept him sidelined for a significant portion of last term. The versatile teenager will be looking to work his way back to full fitness and prove that he can be an option for Lampard in multiple areas of the pitch if need be.
There might not be opportunities for all of these players across the summer as the manager will only have a limited time to be able to assess his entire squad, with the potential of later additions in the transfer window potentially limiting places further. But, at this stage of the summer at least, these youngsters should certainly have their minds of some first-team involvement regardless.
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