David Unsworth has told Thierry Small he can become a Premier League footballer with Everton.
Small, 16, was drafted into first-team training this month following the injury to Lucas Digne despite only making his full under-23 debut in the 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers at the end of November.
That came in the same week the left-back was linked with Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Juventus but Unsworth is confident he will remain with Everton for the long-term.
The u-23 manager told the ECHO: "The one thing that we can give Thierry is a clear pathway.
"He only has to look at Niels Nkounkou. He spent a week with the u-23s [after signing in the summer] and then he was in the first-team squad.
"There's always a clear pathway at Everton for all the youngsters so he's in no better place to have a career as a Premier League footballer."
Small joined Everton as an 11-year-old after a spell with West Bromwich Albion and it is believed team-mates of Small in the u-23 set-up have been privately impressed by his raw talent and potential.
Unsworth revealed to the ECHO that he handed Small a full debut at Blackburn despite the defender - who can also operate on the wing and at centre-back - only being promoted from the under-18s a month previous.
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He said: "Thierry is a fantastic boy. He's been in the academy system a while and is an attacking left-back with great pace and power.
"He's been with us for probably about a month or so now, training with the u-23s, and we felt [Blackburn] was the right night to give him a debut.
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"The pace, the power, how he gets forward - he's a smashing lad. I love working with him, he's a great boy. He's very coachable, very approachable, honest and has all the attributes of what I like to see in young Everton players.
"He has great desire too. I'm delighted with him."
