**Braiden Graham has earned glowing praise from Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill after joining up with the senior squad for the latest international window.**
The 18-year-old Everton forward has already won two senior caps and is now back in O’Neill’s group for the Nations League fixtures against Wales and Denmark.
“Braiden’s a very talented player, a very technical player, a great finisher,” O’Neill said.
The comments provide another indication of the growing reputation of one of [Everton](https://readeverton.com/)‘s most promising academy players.
Graham’s involvement with the senior squad is the product of several years of monitoring rather than a sudden promotion.
“I’ve watched him a lot, we’ve watched Braiden since he was young,” O’Neill said. “I’ve seen him from 14 or 15. What he has shown us in training is a real high technical level and the ability to stick the ball in the net.”
That finishing ability has been a feature of Graham’s progress through Everton’s academy, with the teenager already beginning to make the transition towards senior football.
Graham made his first-team debut for Everton last season and has continued his development under David Moyes while remaining a regular at academy level. His international progress has been similarly rapid. Graham made his senior Northern Ireland debut against Luxembourg in November 2025 and now has another opportunity to impress O’Neill at close quarters.
There is no guarantee of further minutes during this window, but the manager’s comments make clear how highly Graham is regarded.
Everton Academy highlighted O’Neill’s assessment on social media, and the Northern Ireland manager’s description was emphatic: a “very talented” and “very technical” player with the ability to finish. For an 18-year-old already gaining senior experience for club and country, it is another encouraging endorsement of his progress.
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