Everton youngster Harrison Armstrong has been loving life away from Merseyside out on loan with Preston North End.
The 18-year-old midfielder has become a regular under Paul Heckingbottom as he showcases his talent in the Championship.
However, Armstrong was unavailable for Preston on Friday night in their local derby against Blackburn Rovers.
Everton sent the youngster out on loan for the season to play more regular men’s football than he would have been exposed to at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes has been watching Armstrong regularly at Deepdale as he picks up some quality minutes in the second tier.
In the first outing after the international break, the 18-year-old was forced to watch from home, as Heckingbottom offered an update on his absence.
Preston North End v Swansea City - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
Harrison Armstrong injury update shared as Everton consider recall
Heckingbottom made his plan for Armstrong’s development clear as he admitted the midfielder should be left to play in the Championship.
His absence will have been a big miss for Preston having already made 11 appearances in the Championship since making the move to Deepdale.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Heckingbottom offered an update on the injury issue which kept Armstrong out of the local derby on Friday evening.
“Yeah, he just felt his groin a bit when he was away on international duty. They sent him straight back and nothing major, but not fit for the game today [Friday],” said the Preston boss.
Everton News understands that Everton would ideally like to leave Armstrong at Preston on loan for the remainder of the season.
On the back of his stint with Derby County, Armstrong has found another loan that is suiting him down to the ground.
Heckingbottom has loved what he’s seen from Armstrong, but even more promising is that the Preston boss still sees areas for the youngster to improve.
Everton have landed Armstrong another perfect loan
Both Everton and Preston will be hoping that it is only a small issue for Armstrong, with the midfielder having built up some good form with the Lilywhites.
Preston captain Ben Whiteman has waxed lyrical about Armstrong, as he expects the youngster to go on and have a big future.
25/26 (Championship) Total
Appearances 11
Starts 8
Minutes 732
The big decision for Everton is not too far away now with Idrissa Gana Gueye preparing to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Interestingly, Moyes revealed on Friday that Merlin Rohl has undergone surgery after suffering from a minor hernia problem.
With Everton’s midfield set to take a hit in December, there will be a conversation to be had over Armstrong’s loan stint in Lancashire.