Marcel Brands has been labelled a "great appointment" and told his "vision" for Everton's Academy system is now a reality.
Brands installed David Unsworth as the club's new director of Academy last September which sees the club hero combine his role as boss of the under-23s side with a wider remit for the development of young players at Finch Farm.
Unsworth wants to repay Brands' faith and believes the plans the director of football began to implement three years ago, after his arrival from PSV Eindhoven, are starting to bear fruit.
“Marcel was a great appointment.
“He is calm, he’s steady, relaxed – and he’s passionate," Unsworth said.
“I think I was the first guy to greet him here at USM Finch Farm when he came a couple of years ago. We had a great walk around the facility, we spoke about young players.
“He is very passionate about young players. He is always down in the Academy talking to me, talking to the staff, and he’s at the games. He’s a really, really good guy.
“I’ve got a fabulous relationship with him."
Brands attends all u-23s home matches and is a regular on the touchline at u-18s fixtures too.
“He impresses me with his knowledge all the time. He has become a true Evertonian," Unsworth added.
“He had a vision of what he wanted in the Academy, and he’s got that now.
“Certainly, I have to repay the faith he’s shown in me by delivering year-on-year and trying to get more quality players from the Academy and the under-23s into our first team.”
