Everton youngsters taking centre stage

Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling, Jose Baxter and Lukas Jutkiewicz were the hopefuls handed an unexpected opportunity by Everton's injury worries and threadbare squad.

They didn't waste it. Rodwell and Gosling shone in the games against Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids, while Baxter and Jutkiewicz's goals earlier in pre-season hinted at their potential.

And skipper Phil Neville believes the quartet have all shown enough to play their part in the forthcoming Premier League campaign.

"The manager told the four young lads after the game that they'd done really well over in America," says Neville.

"This season in the Premier League, we are allowed seven substitutes, so they might be able to squeeze on to the bench a couple of times and might get thrown on.

"The only way you get any experience is by playing.

"The young lads have been thrown in at the deep end this pre-season, and people like Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling have played in almost all the games.

"They've acquitted themselves fantastically well and the club is in safe hands with regard the youth talent coming through.

"I'm sure Evertonians would rather see four players breaking through the ranks rather than a foreigner come in who doesn't have the heart for the club."

At just 16 years of age, Baxter - who came off the bench to set up Leon Osman's late winner against Colorado Rapids earlier this week - has caught the imagination.

But Neville warns: "People need to be a bit calm about Jose.

"He's still only 16 and he's still learning the game.

"You don't know what his best position is, and none of us want to put any undue pressure on him."

Neville's eye has instead been caught by Gosling in particular. Injury meant the 18-year-old had to wait for his first-team chance following his arrival from Plymouth Argyle in the January transfer window.

And the Everton captain believes the England under-19s international midfielder is certainly making up for lost time.

"I've been mightily impressed by Dan Gosling," says Neville.

"The way he goes past players, it doesn't look like he's running fast but he is. He's a real box to box player.

"He has a similar type of attitude to Leon Osman, he likes to get forward and against Forest and Preston he should have scored. He looks like he has got a goal in him."

With Goodison manager Moyes having admitted any new arrivals will not now be realistically considered for a starting place when the Premier League campaign begins on Saturday week, there's a chance Rodwell and Gosling could make the starting line-up for the visit of Blackburn Rovers.

Neville, though, would have no worries with that eventuality. "Rodwell and Gosling are the ones who look like they are going to come through this season," he says. "I'll be very surprised if they start against Blackburn but I think they're ready to get experience in the Premier League.

"And if either of them did start the first game, then I wouldn't have any concerns at all.

"I always assess young players on their temperament, and they've stepped in and warmed to it. They've looked like they have enjoyed it.

"That's the biggest thing as a young player, you can't be scared of the challenge ahead.

"And they haven't been.

"I was once given a chance when I was young, when people were saying I wasn't ready for first-team action. It's a load of rubbish. You'll only get your experience by playing."

Everton conclude their preparations for the new campaign by entertaining PSV Eindhoven on Saturday evening in the traditional Goodison summer friendly.

And Neville concedes Moyes's men must take advantage of their final warm-up game to iron out the flaws that have resulted in an indifferent run of pre-season results.

"PSV is another good test for us," he says.

"The last pre-season game at Goodison before the start of the season is always a good game, it's the first chance for fans to see us after the summer.

"It gives us experience of playing against European opposition which is what we'll need with us playing in the UEFA Cup again.

And it'll give the likes of Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman a chance for another 90 minutes as they haven't played that much football, Joseph Yobo the same.

"The game will show us how far we have to go. We're still a little bit short in terms of fitness, four or five players have played in almost all the games but there are just as many who've played in only one-and-a-half.

"Those players really need to kick on now and try to get up to speed with the players who've been training all pre-season."