Everton’s new Academy plans take shape

Last week saw the arrival of 11 new full time scholars at the Everton Academy and they were placed under the immediate watch of new Academy Director Dean Rastrick in what is a clear shift from summers gone by. An excellent decision recently to take the Under 18s, the Under 21s and the first team together to a training camp in Scotland. Simple, but you'd have to question why it's not been done before? Whilst I am pretty sure that they still had separate sessions, after all you're talking about approximately 66 footballers training at the one complex, the decision may already have paid off a little.

Although David Moyes' first team resources were stretched by the absence through injury/ World Cup/ paternity leave, it was a nice surprise to see the likes of 17 year old Malik Olayiwola (a new scholar just 12 months ago) getting a run out with the first team. That would not have happened last year at all if only for the reason that the different age groups took up training residency in different locations!