Braiden Graham was praised for his ‘robust’ performance by manager Paul Tait after yet another goal for Everton’s U21s at Finch Farm against Burnley on Monday afternoon.
The 18-year-old forward is the Everton academy player who is making the biggest impression on David Moyes this season.
Graham has now scored 13 times in the Premier League 2 alone as he continues to knock on the door of the first team.
Last week, Leighton Baines was watching Graham for Everton’s U18s in the FA Youth Cup game held at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
As good as Graham has looked in the youth leagues, Moyes has been concerned about Graham’s physicality.
Is Braiden Graham ready for his Everton debut? 👀
Braiden Graham's Everton stats.
The step up to men’s football is a big one, but Tait’s latest comments on Graham’s robustness should ease those concerns from Moyes.
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton - Premier League 2
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Paul Tait eases David Moyes’ concerns about Everton star Braiden Graham
After the game, Tait hailed Graham’s quality, which was evident through his stunning finish to open the scoring.
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However, prior to the game, the Everton U21 manager commented on how robust the 18-year-old is becoming as he’s playing twice a week across the U18 and U21 sides.
Does David Moyes need to put more trust in Everton’s academy players? 😤
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Everton striker Braiden Graham. Everton manager David Moyes.
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“Played a lot of minutes, but I think Braiden is robust and he keeps playing. So, he’s used to it and he’ll start again today,” said Tait.
“He’s having a great run. Both with us in the U21s and he got a lot of attention for his goal the other night [vs Ipswich Town]. But credit to him, he does everything right. He’s a tremendous professional. He’s the first out and last in [at training] as he’s giving himself every chance to succeed.”
Harrison Armstrong compared Graham to Ronaldo Nazario after his goal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last week.
The young striker is a player with bags of potential, but it is the physical side of the game where Moyes holds his concerns.
Braiden Graham showed one negative in Burnley draw
As good as Graham’s finish was to open the scoring, there was one negative to his performance at Finch Farm.
Despite Everton being two goals to the good, Graham was too keen to make an impact on the game as he ran back into his own box and gave away a penalty.
Metric Statistics (Premier League 2)
Appearances 13
Goals 8
Assists 1
Minutes Played 1170
Yellow Cards 3
Contract Expiry June 30, 2027
Although it could be viewed as good work rate, there was no need for the striker to trail all the way back into the Everton area.
This proved to be the turning point in the game.
Everton’s U21s are now battling to make the play-offs on the back of what looked like a certain three points against the Clarets.
Graham is not to blame for the draw, but there is a lesson to be learned for him dropping so deep when the game was in control.
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