Roberto Martinez to blood Everton youngsters this season

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has promised that youngsters Tyias Browning and Luke Garbutt will be given a chance in the first team before the end of the season.

The defenders, aged 19 and 20 respectively, have yet to play in the Premier League, but both have been named as unused substitutes for the Toffees in recent weeks.

"They are players that excelled in the younger groups here and went out on loan," Martinez told Everton's official website. "Luke took his experience at Colchester and did really well. For Tyias, it was a different experience [at Wigan Athletic] as it was about getting away from Finch Farm.

"Now they are ready and have worked with the first-team long enough to be of help on the pitch. I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop over the next couple of weeks, but they will have an opportunity.

"Underneath them there is another generation with a lot of talent and those players are going to be important for the future."

Everton play Fulham at Craven Cottage this afternoon. A win for the Toffees would move them to within four points of fourth-placed Arsenal.