Everton first-team goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly asked David Unsworth to start Joao Virginia in the under-23 goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night to help the goalkeeper retain his match sharpness.
Virginia has been relegated to fourth-choice following the arrival of Robin Olsen on loan from AS Roma on transfer deadline day after earlier starting the senior Carabao Cup victory over Salford City in September when Jonas Lossl was injured.
Carlo Ancelotti could choose to rotate his back-up goalkeeper between Olsen and Lossl, as he did with the Dane and Maarten Stekelenburg last season, but 21-year-old Virginia remains highly-rated at Goodison Park.
He joined Everton from Arsenal in the summer of 2018 under Marco Silva and was loaned out to Championship side Reading at the start of the previous campaign.
He returned swiftly, however, after losing his place in the side following several errors.
Regular u-23 shot-stopper Harry Tyrer - who impressed in the first-team friendly win over Preston North End during the summer - was relegated to the bench on Monday as Virginia kept a clean sheet against Tottenham.
The Portuguese under-21 international made several impressive saves and Unsworth insisted Everton 'don't have to rush' his development.
"Joao kept us in the game tonight," the u-23 manager told the ECHO.
"He needed minutes and obviously we've got young Harry Tyrer but Alan Kelly asked if he could have a game. Absolutely no problem.
"That's part of this team, to give players who aren't getting a game for the first-team a game, so no problem there, but Joao's time will come.
"He's a top class young goalkeeper as he's shown tonight.
"We don't have to rush him. He's done really well, he's part of Carlo's squad and he just need 90 minutes to sharpen up and he was very sharp."
Asked if Virginia would permanently displace Tyrer, Unsworth added: "It'll be sporadically, a game here-and-there when it's needed but Harry is our keeper."
