David Moyes will get another look at Braiden Graham as Paul Tait confirms he will play for the third time in eight days for Everton’s youth side on Friday.
Graham scored yet again on Monday afternoon when Everton’s U21s secured a draw against Burnley at Finch Farm.
On Monday, Tait was full of praise for Graham, who simply cannot stop scoring for the Everton youth sides currently.
The 18-year-old Northern Irishman was also in action on Thursday for Keith Southern’s U18s in their FA Youth Cup victory over Ipswich Town.
As the forward continues to show his quality in front of goal, Moyes does hold concerns over Graham’s physicality as a first-team call-up in mooted.
Is Braiden Graham ready for his Everton debut? 👀
Braiden Graham's Everton stats.
Graham’s fitness will be put to the test, though, with another game heading his way on Friday in the Premier League 2.
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton - Premier League 2
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Braiden Graham set for another Everton U21 run-out against Sunderland
After the draw against Burnley at Finch Farm, Tait admitted it will be the same players who will be out at Walton Hall Park on Friday to face Sunderland.
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“It was disappointing to concede a late goal but we have to recover and bounce back because it’s the same players we’ll be using against Sunderland on Friday,” said Tait.
Does David Moyes need to put more trust in Everton’s academy players? 😤
Surely some of these players can do better than Beto and Dwight McNeil! 😡
Everton striker Braiden Graham. Everton manager David Moyes.
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns – CameraSport/Visionhaus.
“The lads have been great, particularly in the last two months, with loads of positives.”
Eyes are on the Everton youngster as Leighton Baines was sent to watch Graham at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last week for the U18s.
Although he is only 18, Graham has quickly become one of the leaders in the Everton academy as he plays a prominent role across the U18s and U21s.
Graham has netted 16 goals this season across all competitions, but it is not his talent that is coming under scrutiny.
With questions being asked about his physicality, Moyes and the other Everton coaches will have got a good look at Graham over the space of this week.
Graham must learn from Harrison Armstrong’s patience
Over the summer, Harrison Armstrong was desperate to prove his worth to Moyes whilst Everton were in the United States for their pre-season friendlies.
Instead, Armstrong was made to bide his time, with another loan deal set up for him to depart for Preston North End.
Graham finds himself in a similar position to what Armstrong did around 12 months ago; where he is too good for the Premier League 2, but not quite ready for the first team.
The door has now closed on a potential loan deal to an EFL club for the remainder of the season, with Graham looking set to remain in the youth division for another few months.
Everton’s first-team coaches have been impressed with Graham at Finch Farm, but the youngster still has a lot of growth to do physically.
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