David Unsworth and Leighton Baines have taken on new and prominent roles at Everton.
Unsworth will remain manager of the under-23s with added responsibilities while Baines returns as professional development coach.
The 35-year-old will work with young first-team players as well as under-23s and under-18s in supporting their progress on and off the field.
Everton also expect him to instill 'a clear understanding of what it means to be a part of the fabric' at Goodison Park as he liaises with Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti as well as Unsworth and u-18 coach Paul Tait to support effective age-group transitions.
Unsworth has expanded his role to become the new Director of Academy which allows him to bring all of the teams below the senior squad into one management structure and provide a smoother pathway through the academy and into the first-team.
Unsworth said: “I’m honoured and privileged by this opportunity and hugely excited by the opportunities this role will provide. This club is in my blood - and youth development is in this club’s DNA.
"Being able to work with the academy staff to shape the development pathway for the young players in the Academy is incredibly exciting.
"I know I speak for us all when I say there is no prouder moment than seeing young, homegrown progress into our Under-23s and, ultimately, into our first-team.
“It is absolutely brilliant to have Leighton join us in this new and exciting role. Leighton has impressed us greatly in our discussions since he made his decision to retire from playing and we’re all thrilled to have him on board.
"He has tremendous recent experience which will help us ensure our young players are best-equipped to progress through each stage of their journey, both as players and as young men.”
Baines added: “I’m really pleased to be back and to be part of this exciting new structure.
"While our development pathway is already highly respected, it has been very clear to me that there is a shared ambition here to develop and improve this even further, and I’m hugely excited to have the opportunity to play a part in this.
“I feel proud and privileged that Carlo, Marcel, Denise and David all believe I can support them to achieve their ambitions - and just can’t wait to get started!"
Brands continued: “David’s credentials as a coach are first-class and we all know this is matched by his passion for the club.
"The chief executive and I have worked with him on this extension of his role and we all believe this will help ensure an even smoother route into the senior squad for our homegrown players.
“We are all committed to developing the very best local talent and are determined to maintain our position as one of the best player development programmes in football. Adding Leighton and his knowledge into that structure will be very valuable to us.
"He is taking up a new and important role which he has helped design based on his recent perspective and tremendous experience as a player.
“With David working closely alongside his coaching team, and with Joel Waldron continuing to manage our operations, we are confident the academy is in very good hands.”
Joel Waldron moves from his position as Academy Director to become the Academy’s Chief Operating Officer and will continue to manage the operations relating to the Academy at USM Finch Farm.
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