Everton fans will be hoping to see a real push on their academy producing more exciting talents over the coming years.
Harrison Armstrong has been the brightest Everton prospect to come out of Finch Farm for a while as he cuts his teeth on loan at Preston North End.
David Moyes’ senior side is not exactly littered with players who have been nursed through the club’s academy system.
Everton News understands that those at Everton want Armstrong to remain at Preston for the rest of the season to continue his development.
The influence on Everton’s senior side from their homegrown talents is something that simply has to improve over the near future.
With the likes of Armstrong and Isaac Heath out on loan, the Blues have now discovered a 15-year-old talent who is playing beyond his years.
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Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Everton have discovered an exciting 15-year-old talent
Over recent weeks, Moyes has called up some Everton academy prospects to training with the first team at Finch Farm.
This has been seen a number of times this season, but those players do not appear close to actually making an impact on the senior side just yet.
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Speaking to the Everton website, U18s manager Keith Southern has waxed lyrical about his 15-year-old centre-back Harlow McEveley, who played against Burnley on Tuesday.
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“I thought Harlow [McEveley] at centre-back was excellent, he’s 15 and playing against lads two years older than him. It’s brilliant,” said the Everton boss.
This is no mean feat as McEveley is still a schoolboy playing with and against a group of young adults.
Ahead of January, Everton News columnist Alan Myers is urging Everton to invest in more new faces to bolster Moyes’ side.
Clearly, the likes of McEveley are years away from making an impact, but these are the promising signs that Everton fans will want to hear about.
The club need to improve their academy output, and Southern clearly feels he has a real talent in McEveley.
How Everton can improve their academy development
Armstrong has to be used as the example when it comes to how Everton should develop their young prospects.
Over the summer, Armstrong wanted to earn a spot in Everton’s senior side for the 2025/26 campaign.
However, Moyes did not quite feel that he was ready for regular football in the Premier League. So, Armstrong was sent out on another loan to Preston.
At Deepdale, Armstrong is receiving rave reviews from Paul Heckingbottom and his teammates.
Clearly, exposure to men’s football is helping Armstrong develop his game and he may be ready to play for the Blues from next season.
Players like Wayne Rooney come around once in a generation, which means finding the right pathway from the academy into the senior game – like they have with Armstrong – could be crucial for the Blues.
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