Lewis Warrington, Stanley Mills and Reece Welch were given another opportunity to impress on Friday evening as Everton welcomed Dynamo Kyiv to Goodison Park.
It wasn't necessarily a significant amount of time that the youngsters were given, certainly not compared to their appearances against Arsenal earlier in the summer particularly. That clash with the Gunners struck as the real opportunity to impress, while this latest appearance might have been more of a reward from Frank Lampard and a reminder that they are all still in his mind.
All three could be faced with an interesting season ahead. Will they stay and earn first-team chances at Goodison or will they move out on loan, either in this window or in January?
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That's all to consider in the future, but Warrington is making sure that there are no doubts surrounding his commitment to the club. He's been an Everton player since the age of six, and he's not about to let the current opportunity slip through his fingers.
The player's representative Carl Thomas took to Twitter on Saturday morning to reveal that the teenager was keen to turn out for the under-21s as they take on Southport this weekend. He might have been involved with the senior side throughout the summer, but he still knows the importance of getting minutes under his belt.
That's the desire that not only Evertonians will love to see, but Lampard will as well. And it's not something that necessarily is new when you think about Warrington's recent past.
After putting in a number of stellar performances for the under-23s at the beginning of last season, interestingly operating as a very good ball-playing No.6 in that time, he earned a loan move to Tranmere Rovers. It wouldn't have been an easy place to pick up your first taste of senior football, but the Everton man took to it like a duck to water.
Utilised in a more advanced role in his temporary spell on the other side of the River Mersey, the 19-year-old took the chance to show what he was all about - knowing that his parent club would be watching intently. He undoubtedly knew this was a golden chance to display some different talents, perhaps flexing his attacking and ball-playing muscles a little more regularly.
Blues supporters will remember the ground-swell of support for the youngster to pick up a new contract in the summer, and that was a fine reward for his efforts while on loan. Upon putting pen-to-paper on those terms, he instantly turned his thoughts to the summer and his desire to catch the eye of Lampard.
Warrington said: "My next goal is to go up and train with the first team, try to impress, and give my all in every training session. You wouldn’t really be a midfielder if you’ve never said you have looked up to players like Frank Lampard.
"I certainly have. I want to go in and try to impress him. He’s always been a role model to me, and I would like to learn from him and hopefully that will make me into an even better player."
From that point, and with his heavy involvement in pre-season with the senior side, it might have been easy for Warrington to allow himself a rest this weekend. It's believed that the rest of the squad have been given a couple of days off following the Kyiv match.
But, the youngster instead was keen to turn out for the U21s, which might seem like a simple move but it is one which once again shows the fire that lies beneath the surface. He's determined to show what he's got, determined to keep himself fit and ready for the manager if he's needed.
They same could easily be the case for Mills and Welch, even if they haven't been specifically mentioned in the same way. Their circumstances are similar to Warrington - they have had heavy involvement in the senior side this summer, got a fair amount of game time, and want to keep themselves as fresh and determined as possible.
All three started as Everton's U21s played out a 4-0 win over Southport on Saturday afternoon, with Mills taking just a few minutes to win a penalty and then step up himself to get on the scoresheet - before going on to bag two more and complete his hat trick.
And, with five substitutes allowed in the Premier League from 2022/23 onwards, those opportunities might be a little more forthcoming than they might have in the past. Perhaps decisions like this will prove decisive in impressing their manager in the long run.
Only the future can bring those answers, but what's clear is that this trio is showing the exact attitude that Evertonians will love to see from their academy stars.
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