Everton midfielder Dennis Adeniran insists the young Blues are savouring the prospect of taking on Fleetwood Town at Goodison Park on Tuesday night (7.45pm), describing the last-32 Leasing.com Trophy clash as “the biggest game of our season”.

Everton have qualified for the knockout stages of the competition for the first time after topping their preliminary group.

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After contesting a 1-1 draw with Mansfield Town in their opening group stage match, the Toffees conclusively dispatched Burton Albion 2-0 at the Pirelli Stadium. An entertaining 2-2 draw against Crewe Alexandra then ensured the Toffees’ progress.

Adeniran, who joined Everton from Fulham in 2017, has been a key figure for the Blues in this year’s competition.

His skill, combativeness and ability to powerfully drive forward from midfield have helped to set the tempo for Unsworth’s side, as they have successfully transferred the high-octane football that underpinned their 2018/19 Premier League 2 title triumph against senior professional outfits.

Adeniran says the challenge of playing against experienced players is one Everton’s young talents relish.

“I think we come alive in this competition,” added the 20-year-old, who scored a fine goal for Everton Under-23s in their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night.

“It’s the biggest game of our season. You are putting yourself against other men - first-team players - to see where you are at.

“It’s a good tester to see where you are and you want to prove yourself.

“We’ve won the league, we’ve won the cup, but this is one we actually want to win this season.”

Adeniran played every match of Everton’s Premier League 2 title-winning campaign.

The league title was secured with a 1-0 win over title rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on a night of thrilling drama at Goodison – Everton peppering the Seagulls’ goal for extended periods before the away side missed a late penalty.

The Grand Old Lady also hosted the Premier League Cup final, with Adeniran helping the young Blues see off Newcastle United.

Both matches were played in front of sizeable attendances and Adeniran detailed how the team feed off the Goodison crowd’s energy. He is hoping for another strong following of Evertonians at Tuesday’s game against Joey Barton’s Fleetwood.

“The Everton fans are fantastic and, when they are there, I think we really perform,” he said.

“Before the game, you can hear the noise. You can feel the adrenaline in you. You just want to do anything for the badge – you want to go all the way and do it for the fans.”

Adeniran has been training regularly with the Everton first-team this season and explained how this experience is helping him develop both on and off the pitch.

“I’ve matured more as a player,” he says. “Training with senior players, seeing how they go about things has helped me a lot.

“I feel like I’m not out of place when I’m training with them. I feel like I fit in.

“It’s a fantastic set-up every day and I just want to kick on.”