Odin Samuels-Smith has left staff at Marine in no doubt that he has a bright future
The chances of Everton academy prospect Odin Samuels-Smith having a good career in football have been ranked at “1,000,000%” by the manager overseeing his first taste of senior action. The defender is currently on loan at National League North side Marine, where his arrival has been described as a “breath of fresh air” for the club.
It has coincided with a surge in form that has seen the Crosby-based outfit win five of the seven games Samuels-Smith has played in.
The teenager lasted the full 90 minutes once again at the weekend as Marine beat Stocksbridge Park 2-0 in the FA Trophy. That performance followed confirmation his loan spell had been extended by a further month.
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For Marine boss Bobby Grant, the decision over whether or not to try and keep the 19-year-old was a clear one.
He told Off the Park: “Samuels-Smith has been an absolute breath of fresh air.
“To come into the dressing room and conduct himself the way he has, as a person - he is an incredible person - and to back it up with the performances that he's delivered from from the very first game, he's been a top, top player.
“He is someone that has one million per cent got a bright future in the game.
“He is consistent, he has the ability to defend one v one situations, meaning we can push players further up the pitch, and he's absolutely lightning fast. And he loves defending.”
Grant, whose own playing career took in stints with clubs including Blackpool and Wrexham, said he had been providing Everton with updates and analysis of Samuels-Smith’s displays since he moved to Marine last month.
The defender has typically operated at left back with another Finch Farm youngster - Fraser Barnsley - in goal, though the keeper was absent at the weekend due to international commitments.
Of the youngster, whose twin brother Ishe Samuels-Smith was sold by Everton to Chelsea, Grant added: “I can't give him any more praise and I think anyone around the football club, from the players and fans, right the way up to the board, all have the same opinion and to be able to do that in a space of four weeks shows how well he's been doing at this club
“He's even brought that calmness in terms of playing the passes and getting forward now and choosing the right moments to go.
"The uncertainty was because he's never been at this level and he's been playing academy football - but as soon as we put him in at Worksop and he delivered after one training session, we thought ‘we've got a player here’.
“We're delighted with him.”