David Unsworth proud of Everton's youth system as club edge closer to Premier League 2 title

Everton Under-23 manager David Unsworth praised his side on the verge of winning the Premier League 2 title, despite having less funding than other academies.

Victory over Chelsea at Aldershot on Friday night will see the Toffees secure the Premier League 2 title with a match to spare.

They currently enjoy a five-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City, who have invested a vast amount in their youth system and Unsworth claims that is testament to his squad's quality and commitment.

"I don't know about out-performing because we've had some great games against them this season," he told Press Association Sport.

"They spent a lot more money than us but we think we have players who are as talented as anyone's at the moment and we think we can compete against anybody.

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"It has been a great season. The lads have been consistently very good over the period, we've had some great performances and the players have put themselves in a great position of doing something a little bit special.

"We have been able to not just individually perform but collectively perform for the majority of the season.

"The biggest thing now is keeping this group of players together and getting them involved in the first team."

Everton hold a 10-point gap over Liverpool, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United further adrift in the league.