Ronald Koeman insists he has no regrets at fielding Everton’s young guns in Saturday’s Merseyside derby defeat.
Owing largely to injuries, four Blues players under the age of 22 started the 3-1 reversal at Anfield including a first outing of the season for Matthew Pennington.
The defender equalised for the visitors but endured an otherwise difficult afternoon as both Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho got the better of him.
Mason Holgate also struggled against Liverpool while first-team regulars Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggled to leave any lasting impressions.
But Koeman has defended his decision to draft in the relatively inexperienced quartet and believes their performances bode well for Everton’s future.
He said: “I think, first of all, all the young boys showed belief and confidence.
“Of course [for] Mason and the first goal, he cannot lose that ball. But they need to learn.
“I wasn’t afraid to put them in [against Liverpool] because they have the quality to play in the first team of Everton.
“If Seamus (Coleman) was okay then Holgate was not starting, okay, we know.
“But if you have that kind of problem, don’t be afraid to put young players in because that’s also the future for Everton.”
“I think that’s really bright about the young players.”
The Dutchman has also refused to discount the possiblity of redeploying Holgate, Pennington and others during Tuesday night’s visit to Manchester United.
“I don’t know. Tuesday is a different game. We need to recover,” he added.
“It’s really close to Tuesday and, okay, we need to see on Monday what the options are and to make decisions [then].”