Everton manager David Moyes enjoyed a secret scouting trip on Tuesday night to watch a specific player in action with a big decision lying ahead of him.
It was a disappointing result for Everton at the weekend but Manchester City away is not yet a fixture the Blues will be pinning three points on.
Moyes hailed Iliman Ndiaye for his performance against City, with a number of the substitutes also getting an honourable mention.
“All the boys who came on really worked hard, from Barry to Dwight, to Merlin and Tim, I thought they were good for us,” said Moyes after full-time.
There have been a lot of positives to take from Everton’s opening months of the season, but there is clear room for improvement still.
Everton News understands that Everton are scouting Charlie Cresswell ahead of the January transfer window.
And it seems there is another player who Moyes has been keen to watch in person this week.
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David Moyes spotted in Harrison Armsytrong scouting mission for Everton
Although new signings may be on the agenda, it is apparent that one player still on Everton’s books is on Moyes radar.
Everton youngster Harrison Armstrong is enjoying life on loan with Preston North End, where the midfielder is playing regular Championship football.
According to Patrick Boyland of The Athletic, Moyes was spotted in the Deepdale crowd where he was watching his 18-year-old prospect.
It is claimed that Everton could potentially consider bringing Armstrong back to Merseyside in January as they prepare to lose Idrissa Gana Gueye to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Armstrong played the full 90 minutes in Preston’s 1-0 defeat at home to Birmingham City on Tuesday evening.
This comes after an impressive summer of pre-season action for Everton before being moved out to play consistent minutes in the second tier.
Last season, Moyes personally scouted Armstrong on loan at Derby County, where he earned his first taste of regular men’s football.
Despite only seeing him play seven times, Preston fans have been impressed by Armstrong as he continues to show his potential away from Merseyside.
These type of performances are exactly why the midfielder remains in Everton’s thoughts as they prepare for a crunch decision ahead of AFCON.
Harrison Armstrong showing Moyes his potential for Everton future
Having earned the trust of Paul Heckingbottom, Armstrong has started the last four Championship games for Preston.
Heckingbottom thinks Armstrong has a huge future in the game, which will encourage a lot of Everton fans for what could still be to come.
We’re grateful to Everton. But he’s someone I think is going to be a really, really good player and I think our fans and our players are really seeing what he’s about now and he’s a really good lad as well,” he said.
It is proving to be another good fit for Armstrong out on loan at Moyes’ former club with regular minutes being earned at Deepdale.
90 minutes played
39/48 accurate passes
1/1 successful long passes
4x was fouled
5/5 ground duels won
6/7 aerial duels won
Moyes encouraged Armstrong to join Preston as it is a club he knows extremely well and that certainly seems to be paying off for the midfielder.
Seeing Moyes in the stands will also surely act as a real boost for Armstrong to see he is still being thought of by his manager on Merseyside.