Everton Under-23 coach David Unsworth has told fans they can expect to see more of the club’s promising youngsters go out on loan in January.

The Blues’ second string are currently top of the Premier League 2 table after beating Manchester City Under-23s on Sunday (20 November), but Unsworth believes there’s no substitute for first-team experience.

“This is what these players have to do,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “We certainly will target a few of the players to go out on loan in January.”

No substitute for first-team experience

Unsworth’s views have not been changed by Conor Grant’s recent unsuccessful loan at Ipswich Town.

The midfielder’s season-long loan at Portman Road has been cut short after he made just seven appearances since August.

“I’m a big fan of the loan system, but sometimes I think a bad loan situation isn’t always a bad thing in the long run,” said the former Blues left-back.

“It’s a great experience. Ipswich is a great club with great people, Mick [McCarthy] is a fantastic guy, so he will have learnt something from it.”

Grant will now play with the Under-23s until January, when Everton will look to loan him out again to another Football League club.

“He has not been getting the minutes that he, or us, would desire,” added Unsworth.

More youngsters set to leave on loan in January

Some of Grant’s Under-23 team-mates will surely have caught the eye of Football League sides keen to bolster their ranks in January, and a loan move could help ensure a smooth transition between youth football at first-team action at Goodison Park.

The Blues are now two points clear, having won seven of their ten games so far in the Premier League 2.

Everton currently have five players out on loan: Brendan Galloway (West Bromwich Albion), Aiden McGeady (Preston North End), Luke Garbutt (Wigan Athletic), Russell Griffiths (Cheltenham Town) and Shani Tarashaj (Eintracht Frankfurt).

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Dan Rawley
Third-year journalism student at the University of Sheffield. Bylines in Sheffield Star, Now Then Magazine, Fútbol Latino Revista and more.