Everton under-21 boss Paul Tait has revealed that a number of his side will head out on loan in January and believes a pathway to first-team football now exists at the club.
During the summer, the young Blues allowed Lewis Warrington, Lewis Gibson, Nathan Broadhead, Lewis Dobbin, Ellis Simms, Ryan Astley and Harry Tyrer to all depart on loan in order to gain more first-team experience.
Tait himself was promoted during the summer following the exit of David Unsworth as the club’s under-23 boss and Academy director. The former forward became the club’s first under-21 head coach, having stepped up from his role as under-18s boss, where he had held the reins for the past five years.
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Leighton Baines was the man chosen to replace Tait, and when asked if he was still keeping an eye on things at under-18 level, the Blues boss not only revealed he was, but also explained that a number of the side could move up when some of his players depart on loan in January.
“Great, brilliant Bainsey. I enjoyed working with him last year and I am enjoying working with him this season,” he told the ECHO when asked about his relationship with the former full-back.
“We work together in professional development, we are in the same office, we are in each other's pockets and we work together every day.
“When these boys go out on loan in January, which will be quite a few of them, the opportunities then arise for the under-18s.”
Tait spoke at length during the summer about the encouraging conversations he had held with Lampard and his coaching staff about the club’s Academy pathway. And the recent international break enabled Tait's side to get a taste of first-team life.
“International duty created an opportunity for us to go up and train with the first-team and we went up as a full squad and trained alongside them,” he said.
“It was brilliant for our lads and it was real gold dust and you get up close and see what the standard is like, and you see what the top players are like in the first-team.
“You see the way they behave, the way they act, some of the top professionals we have got in and around our first-team. It is just a good experience for them.”
Before he added: “We need to have that pathway. The boys need to see that and if they do do well, like you say, I think the club is trying now to create that pathway for our younger players to go into the first-team.
“Frank has got a reputation already of being a manager, in a short amount of time, for blooding young players and he will give them a chance. He will give them opportunities. It is our job to have the boys read for them when the opportunity comes.”
One prodigy who has already caught the eye of Lampard this season is Stanley Mills, the son of Danny Mills, and a player who the Blues boss described as full of 'talent and character' back in August.
The 18-year-old joined Everton’s Academy at the age of 14 and has made impressive progress through the age groups. He was part of the club’s pre-season USA tour squad – where he featured against Arsenal and Minnesota United – and friendly wins against Blackpool and Dynamo Kyiv.
Mills was also named on the bench for Everton’s Premier League opener against Chelsea at Goodison Park. He then made first-team debut when he came off the bench in his side’s 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup back in August.
The teenager continued his impressive form on Tuesday night when he came off the bench to score his side’s fourth goal in their 4-1 win over Hertha BSC in the Premier League International Cup. And speaking after the game, Tait revealed the attacking midfielder is currently training with both his side and the first-team.
He said: “Stan has been excellent. He got a real good chance with the first-team and he was with them for eight weeks from pre-season.
“Apart from being a really good player, he is a really good person and he does things right. He is really professional and diligent in everything he does and the first-team staff saw that.
“His programme at the moment is playing for us, training with us, but of course going and training with the first-team, which will be a real stretch for him, which is what he needs.”
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