Paul Tait has urged his Everton Under-18s team to “show their quality and be ruthless in the final third” as the young Blues target a Merseyside derby victory on Saturday.

Everton host Liverpool at USM Finch Farm (11am kick-off) aiming to sustain their unbeaten start to the U18 Premier League (North) season.

The Toffees, who have won three and drawn one of their opening four matches, came from two goals down to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory at Burnley last time out.

Manager Tait says Everton will approach the derby contest high on confidence, as he described the sense of anticipation within the squad.

And while praising his players' efforts so far this term, Tait insists they have the capacity to significantly raise their performance levels.

“If you play Liverpool at any age group, you want to win,” he told evertonfc.com.

“We’re no different. We’re desperate to get the right result.

“The lads are confident in their ability and they know, on their day, they can be a match for anyone.

“We’ve had a positive start to the season, we’ve shown some real resilience and character, but we can get better.

“I think our patterns of play playing out from the back can be better.

“Also, we've got some really talented midfield players in the group. I’m still expecting more from those lads on the ball, which will come. They’re still developing.

"The signs are there and we’ve got some exciting players.

"In the final third, I believe we can be a little more ruthless and show some more individual skill and a little bit more quality.

“As a team, we’ve also been working on that combination play in the final third that can help us open teams up.”

Manager Tait outlined the importance of cultivating a positive, challenging atmosphere at training each day, which gives the Blues’ emerging talents the best possible platform to progress.

He added his players’ work-ethic and application makes them a pleasure to coach.

“We are trying to create an environment where it’s enjoyable to come in to train every day,” Tait said.

“But ultimately, it’s the players that create the environment every day.

“For the young lads, they’ve had a lot to deal with over the past six months with the pandemic.

“It’s been a real release for them to come in and be full-time footballers.

“Every day, we talk about their behaviours, we want them to give 100 per cent and tell them every day is an opportunity to improve.

“These are the messages we want to get across, and they are taking them on board.

“There are a lot of lads with good senses of humour as well, which helps in these times.

“We’ve got some jokers in the pack and they keep everyone going.

“We’ve formed a really good team spirit.”