David Unsworth has praised new Everton arrival Niels Nkounkou after his first days of training with the club.
Following the end of the 2019/20 campaign last month, the Blues youngsters have returned to Finch Farm and got their pre-season schedule underway.
And that has allowed the former Marseille defender to train in his new surroundings for the first time in preparation to go straight into Unsworth's squad.
And the under-23s boss has already been impressed with what he has seen from the 19-year-old.
Unsworth told evertonfc.com : “He looks a really good prospect.
“He has worked very, very hard in these first few days. There are obviously a lot of things to work on but he looks a great athlete.
“I’m looking forward to honing in on his position - it’s a position I know very well - and trying to help him with the tactical understanding and requirements of what’s needed at the highest level.
“I think that’s something we do very well here – showing our young players what they need to be an Everton player.”
Unsworth's squad returned to Finch Farm earlier this week almost five months after their last competitive match.
The youngsters were sent individual training programmes to keep fit while they were away from the training complex and the manager is pleased with how well each stuck to their tasks.
The boss also talked in detail about how different training will look for his side over the coming days and weeks.
“We’ve focused a lot during the first couple of days on technique and implementing some base fitness in the players while working with the ball – everything is done with the ball," he added.
“We’re trying to squeeze a little bit more out of them than we would normally, because we would usually be supplementing that morning session with one in the afternoon and sometimes a third session.
“The hour and a half when we work with them in the morning is going to be really tough. We’re doing a bit of everything, really. We’re doing technique, running with the ball, all incorporated together.
“We’ve had three great days, though we’ve only been allowed in small groups of four players. I’ve had four, John [Ebbrell] had four, Franny [Jeffers] had four and Kev [O’Brien] was taking the goalkeepers
“Across two pitches, we had half a pitch each, so we do all our drills in that space. And then we rotate around.
“We move on to stage two on Thursday, when all the squad can train together. It will get easier as we move along through this process, when we can do more 11v11 work.”
While his side were away, Unsworth himself analysed first team training sessions from May onwards.
And the experience of closely watching Carlo Ancelotti and his staff has been an important one for the under-23s boss.
“I love spending time with the first team and looking at the detail they went through and type of training they did,” he added.
“The first team were quick getting back to 11v11 work and on full-size pitches, probably more so than usual [in a normal pre-season schedule].
“I got to look at Carlo Ancelotti and all his staff, who are a great set of guys, and I really enjoyed it.”
