Everton to hand Tom Davies new long-term contractEXCLUSIVE: Everton teenager Davies made first-team breakthrough this seasonEverton are expected to hand Tom Davies a new long-term contract after his first-team breakthrough this season.
The 17-year-old has just over a year remaining on his current deal but is set to be offered fresh terms to reflect his emergence at Goodison.
Davies made his Premier League debut against Southampton in April before turning in a man-of-the-match display against Norwich City on the final day of the season.
The West Derby midfielder is certain to be a permanent fixture in the Blues first-team next term under Roberto Martinez’s replacement and will be offered a new contract on the back of that.
Davies only signed his first professional deal with Everton in September but the club are keen to tie him down.
The lifelong Blues fan has made rapid progression this term and his performances against Southampton and Norwich have confirmed to club chiefs that he is a star in the making.
Davies, who doesn’t turn 18 until the end of June, will be part of the senior set-up in pre-season and looking to impress Everton’s new manager.
Tom Davies in man-of-the-match action against Norwich
After coming on as a late substitute against Southampton - in front of prospective new Blues boss Ronald Koeman - Davies said: “It’s a dream come true to get on the pitch.
“It was a short amount of time to get out there but to play out there and play on Goodison in front of the fans is all I wanted.”
Davies then played the full 90 minutes against Norwich on the final day as David Unsworth - a key figure in the teenager’s development - took temporary charge of the Blues.
And now Davies looks set to remain part of the senior set-up at Goodison.
Unsworth heaped praise on the performances of Kieran Dowell and Jonjoe Kenny against the Canaries but raved about Davies’ display, saying: “In particular Tom Davies who was out of this world.
“His individual performance within a team performance – and I’m not massive on individual performances, it’s all about the team for me – but he was outstanding this afternoon.
“For me, it was everything we want in an Everton centre midfielder; all-action, good on the ball, spots danger. It was a great midfield performance.”
Kieran Dowell gets a great reception from Caretaker Manager David Unsworth as he is substituted
Liv Echo
