Harrison Armstrong has sent a clear message on his time at Preston North End as Everton consider recalling him from his loan.
The game at the weekend against Tottenham Hotspur saw Everton struggle in front of goal once again.
David Moyes will have liked a lot of what he saw from his side at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
New issues lie ahead for Everton over the coming weeks with Idrissa Gana Gueye set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.
It has been suggested that Everton could recall Armstrong from his loan stint with Preston North End in January.
Just months into his spell at Deepdale, Armstrong has provided a potential hint over what he wants for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
Preston North End v Sheffield United - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images
Harrison Armstrong loving life on loan away from Everton
Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom is delighted with Armstrong’s performances in the Championship in the early stages of his loan.
Armstrong has quickly made himself a regular in the starting XI at Deepdale, with his latest performance broadcast to the nation.
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Speaking after the game against Sheffield United, Armstrong shared his delight in playing regular men’s football with Preston.
“I am really enjoying playing with any team-mates that come in there,” the 18-year-old told the Preston media team.
“Playing with them is enjoyable, and you want to be on that starting team sheet every week because it’s moments like this that you live for.”
Armstrong shone for Preston against Sheffield United on Friday evening, where he played a huge role in the comeback from two goals down.
A big dilemma lies ahead of Everton as to whether they should disrupt his loan in January to cover themselves for Gueye’s absence.
Everton should leave Armstrong on loan with Preston
During the pre-season, Armstrong wanted to impress Moyes after making his return from his loan spell at Derby County.
Armstrong played a big role in Everton’s pre-season preparations, but the decision was still made to let him leave for another loan.
Clearly, there was a belief that Armstrong would rack up more minutes away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium this season.
Armstrong 25/26 (Championship) Total
Appearances 8
Starts 5
Minutes 498
Although he has impressed at Preston, he could return in January simply to provide squad depth with the likes of James Garner and Merlin Rohl potentially becoming the starting pair.
Everton have been impressed by Rohl, who also finds himself waiting on an opportunity to impress from the starting XI.
If Armstrong did return in January and did not play much football, there would naturally be a lot of frustration over his loan spell at Preston being disrupted.
Clearly, he is very happy and settled playing regularly in the Championship.