Yates, Tom Davies and Nathan Holland have all swapped Merseyside for St. George’s Park this week as they prepare to kick-off their European Championship Elite Round qualifiers against Norway on Saturday.
Games against Slovenia and Romania come hot on the heels after the opener as the Young Lions strive to secure a spot at this summer’s tournament in Bulgaria –
And the Toffees trio do not have to look far for inspiration after Kenny and Ledson returned to Goodison Park with winners' medals last year.
England v Norway
U17 Euro Elite Qualifying Round
3pm, Saturday 21 March
Pirelli Stadium, Burton Albion
Burtonalbionfc.co.uk/tickets
01283 565938
“Ryan Ledson spoke recently of how important the Elite Round qualifiers are in building up momentum to head into the finals,” Yates told TheFA.com.
“That’s good advice coming from someone who was in this position last season, so we need to take that on and make sure we get the results here.
“Jonjoe and Ryan set the standard last year for us lads at Everton, it would be great if we could do that for the second time in a row, especially for the club.
“But we know there’s a lot of hard work ahead before we can even start thinking about that.”
And as a defender, Yates is in no doubts as to what area he wants to see improved the most.
“We have shipped too many goals, which is annoying being a part of the defence,” he said.
“If we want to get to the finals then we need to stop that, and we know the attacking threat in the Elites will be very strong.
“We need to get it sorted so we can concentrate on our attack, as we believe that we can pose a threat to anyone.”
Yates, who turns 17 next month, has been involved in each of John Peacock’s squads so far this campaign, and has won 11 caps.
Ryan Ledson captained the U17s as they won the Euros last season
A number of players have been used by the head coach this season, but with his 18-men selected for the Elites, Yates says the personal are clicking at just the right time.
“The chemistry between the defence has improved, we all know each other well from playing on numerous trips with each other, so hopefully over the next week we can put all that together.
“We defended really well in the first round, but we have faced some stronger opposition since then, but it’s all been a good experience and we’ll be well prepared if we do reach the finals.”
He added: “I’ve noticed it myself in training this week, we are gelling a lot more. The sessions have been a really high standard, and we’ve got that togetherness from all the tournaments we have played in together this season.
“Even though the results haven’t always been as we have liked, it’s definitely taught us a lot and hopefully we can put that to practice where it really matters in these qualifiers.
“We need to start well, carry that confidence on to the next game – it’s always good to start with a win and that’s our aim against Norway.”
