David Unsworth is confident his team will go from strength-to-strength this season as his youthful group of players continue to acclimatise to the intensity of Under-23s football.

The young Blues will target a third consecutive victory when they contest their final game of 2021 on Monday night at Leeds United (7pm GMT) – and Official Members can watch the game live on evertonfc.com! Click here for more information on memberships and to sign up now.

The core of Unsworth’s side is made up of players who remain eligible for the Blues’ Under-18 outfit, with the former Everton defender admitting it has been a “big ask” for the Toffees’ young talents to regularly lock horns with more experienced opponents.

He has been encouraged by the development of his squad during the opening four months of the season, however, with Everton’s Premier League 2 results steadily improving after a difficult start to the campaign.

Everton go into Monday’s clash on the back of successive wins over Arsenal and Peterborough United. The young Blues are in eighth position in the table – five places and five points ahead of opponents Leeds.

“We’re the second-youngest team in the league – only Manchester City are younger than us,” Unsworth told evertonfc.com.

“It’s been a massive step up for the boys from Under-18s football.

“The teams we have been beaten over the past couple of months have been the older teams.

“It was a big ask and we knew that at the start of the season – and we knew we would get better. 

“Results have steadily improved but, most importantly, the performances have really picked up.

"We've had a couple of great wins and now we want to finish our year off well against Leeds."

Official Members can watch Leeds United Under-23s v Everton Under-23s live on evertonfc.com from 6.45pm (GMT) on Monday night.