Planning for the future has been a large aspect of Marco Silva's time at Everton so far.
Of course, one of the immediate tasks at hand was repairing the squad so that it could compete in the present day, but there was still a distinct focus on what was to come in subsequent years.
The first stage of that was a summer clearout - getting rid of the deadwood at the club and bringing in a fresh bunch of vibrant and talented players.
None of the players identified by Marcel Brands and Silva, and later signed by the club, were over the age of 26.
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The project was clear. Everton were in desperate need of improvement, but it couldn't be allowed to just be a short term fix.
The second step of this process has come in the form of giving ample opportunities to young players across the season - and that has been achieved with varying degrees of success.
Aside from the club's new summer signings, who were always going to pick up a large amount of minutes across the campaign, a fair few young stars have been handed chances.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is probably the best example of this bearing fruit, with the striker taking advantage of the opportunity handed to him by Silva to impress.
Elsewhere, things have been a little different - with in particular the likes of Jonjoe Kenny and Ademola Lookman not being given a consistent run at the starting 11.
But another of those who falls into that bracket is Tom Davies, and he has become the starting block of Everton's third stage of development under Brands and Silva.
It's reported that the midfielder is set to sign a new contract with the Blues that will see him stay at Goodison Park until 2023, and that would be an important step for both the club and the player.
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You would understand if the 20-year-old has been a little disappointed with his amount of game time this season, especially since Andre Gomes gained fitness and stamped his authority on the starting 11.
Davies has started just 10 Premier League matches this term compared to 20 last season and 18 in the term before that.
But of course there are explanations for that. This is a sign of how much Everton's squad and competition for places has grown this season.
It's sometimes easy to forget that the midfielder is so young after his barn-storming entrance fully into the first team picture well over two years ago now.
That goal against Manchester City announced Davies onto the Premier League stage, and expectations have been high around him ever since - perhaps a little unfairly so.
While it's true that the youngster saw his biggest amount of first team minutes last season, it wasn't an environment he could really develop in.
Ronald Koeman and later Sam Allardyce placed a lot of pressure on Davies playing in a role deeper than he has ever been used to at the club.
Add to that the poor performances of the whole squad and the dreary atmosphere around the club at the time and it's certainly not the ideal place for a young player to hone his talents.
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While this season under Silva has, on the face of things, seen less opportunity for Davies, actually you could argue it's been the opposite.
Why? Well the answer to that first came way back in August.
Everton walked out of the Goodison Park tunnel for their first League Cup tie this season against Rotherham United, and were led out by Tom Davies proudly wearing the captain's armband.
That made the midfielder the club's youngest ever skipper - and a month later he was bestowed with the honour for a Premier League match for the first time against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
He told the ECHO at the time: "It's something I don't want to stop doing so I'll continue being a voice in the changing room and hopefully grow into the role."
If that responsibility at such a young age doesn't show faith from the manager, then nothing ever will.
And that's the kind of pressure Davies has needed this term, a positive angle rather than a negative one.
Whenever the midfielder has been in Silva's side this term he has been utilised in his much more natural box-to-box role.
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That has payed dividends on numerous occasions, not least a brilliant performance at home to Manchester City in what was ultimately a 2-0 loss despite Davies' contribution.
It might not have been easy for him to sit on the sidelines and watch Barcelona loanee Gomes make the position in Silva's team his own, but Davies knows he is appreciated at Goodison Park.
And, importantly, Everton know just how vital the 20-year-old could be in the future.
Tying young stars to new contracts down is an important step in the club's development, and it's only right that Davies should be the one to pioneer that approach this term.
