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Evertonians got a first glimpse of exciting prospect Tom Davies in April 2016, when the young midfielder, an Academy graduate, was handed his Premier League debut from the bench in a 1-1 draw against Southampton.
His first start followed a month later when David Unsworth and Joe Royle took temporary charge for the final-day fixture against Norwich City.
Davies revelled in the limelight and his all-action style earned him the Man-Of-The-Match prize.
It represented a rapid rise for the Merseyside-born player who joined Everton’s Academy at the age of 11.
He became a first-year scholar ahead of the 2014/15 season, adding tough tackling and a wide passing range to the Under-18s' midfield.
Davies was promoted to the Under-21s at the end of that campaign and scored in the first mini-derby of the 2015/16 season to help secure a 3-3 draw.
The player’s crusade towards the Everton First Team took a big step forward when he signed his first professional contract in September 2015.
The England youth international captained his country in the Under-17s World Cup in Chile in October 2015 and in the same year was invited by then manager Roy Hodgson to train with the senior side at St George’s Park.
On returning from South America he continued to perform at a high level for the Club’s Under-21 side and was handed his First-Team opportunity in April 2016.
In August 2016 Davies signed a new five-year deal after featuring prominently in pre-season - and that was just the beginning.
He starred for Unsworth's Under-23s in the first half of the campaign, helping set the young Blues on their way to the inaugural Premier League 2 crown.
And, after five substitute appearances, Davies' form was rewarded by then manager Ronald Koeman with a senior start for the visit of Southampton on 2 January.
He featured in every First-Team game for the rest of the 2016/17 campaign and quickly established himself as a fans' favourite with his dynamic approach.
That was underlined when he capped a dream season by scooping a treble of prizes at the Club’s End-of-Season Awards.
The midfielder, 18 at the time, was named Young Player of the Year, before winning both categories voted for by fans - Individual Performance of the Season for his display in a 4-0 win over Manchester City in January, and Goal of the Season for his fine solo effort in that match, which was Davies' first senior strike for the Club.
The 2017/18 season saw Davies continue his impressive progress. He made 43 Everton appearances, a total surpassed by only Dominic Calvert-Lewin among the Toffees' outfield players.
In August 2018, Davies became Everton's youngest starting captain when he led out the Blues in their 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Rotherham United at Goodison Park.
The midfielder described the honour as "a boyhood dream" and he skippered the Toffees on five more occasions during the 2018/19 season.
Davies signed a new four-year contract in April 2019 to keep him at the Club until the end of June 2023.
In his first full campaign after signing that deal, Davies played 30 Premier League matches and appeared twice more in the Carabao Cup.
He scored in the quarter-final of the knockout competition, against Leicester City at Goodison Park, with his lone Premier League strike contributing to a 2-1 win at Southampton.
Davies had 30 appearances in 2020/21 and played his 150th game for the Club when coming off the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the season's penultimate match.
A twin injury blow limited Davies' ability to add to that milestone in the following 2021/22 campaign. He hurt a knee in early November and towards the end of his rehabilitation two months later sustained a serious hamstring problem.
Davies did, however, win a race against time to start the final game of the season, at Arsenal, his eighth appearance of a deeply-frustrating personal term.
Contracted until: June 2023
