Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
Everton fans have seen Harrison Armstrong emerge from the academy in recent times and have been hoping to see more players follow in his footsteps – and now the Guardian have shared who they think that player is likely to be.
The Everton academy has produced several amazing talents over the years.
Wayne Rooney is, of course, the player everyone instantly thinks about, given all he went on to achieve in the game. But then there were the likes of Ross Barkley and Anthony Gordon, and most recently Armstrong.
Everton fans would like to hope that the academy will start producing players much more regularly, and that it won’t be long until someone follows Armstrong’s path.
And perhaps that young player could be Jonathan Nsangou.
Jonathan Nsangou gets Guardian seal of approval with Next Generation inclusion
The Guardian have today released their much-anticipated ‘Next Generation’ list of young talents for every Premier League club for 2026.
The list is always a great indicator as to who the brightest prospect at each top-flight club is.
And this year, the Guardian have selected Jonathan Nsangou for Everton.
It is perhaps little wonder, because Nsangou’s name has cropped a few times already this season given his exploits within the academy. Earlier this term, he scored a first-half hat-trick against Reading in the U18 Premier League Cup, and also scored a brace against Wolves, with both of his goals being excellent finishes.
During this international break, Nsangou – who is still only 16 – has been training with the first-team. And not only that, he featured in a behind-closed-doors game against Blackburn Rovers a few days ago. He was on target in the 3-3 draw.
The Guardian wrote of him: “The gifted forward has been making a strong impression with different countries as well as different age groups, having represented Poland and England before his 16th birthday.
“Nsangou played for Poland, the country of his birth, at Under-15s level and switched to England U16s last year. Domestically, he made his debut for Everton Under-21s as a 15-year-old – the first player born in 2010 to do so – and has also trained with the first team on occasions.
“Comfortable in a number of attacking roles, two-footed and possessing excellent technique – as evidenced by his outstanding brace against Wolves recently – he has shone for the U18s this season with four goals in four games.”
It may well be that we won’t see Nsangou for another few years yet. He is still so young, and David Moyes is obviously cautious when it comes to fielding young players in the first-team.
But Nsangou will be acutely aware of Rooney making his debut aged 16. He, of course, was a generational talent. But Nsangou will have hope – the fact that he has been training with the first-team, alongside a few other youngsters, is already a promising sign.