Braiden Graham scored four goals for Everton’s U21s on Friday night.
The Everton youngster has been knocking on David Moyes’ door for months and Friday night’s display will certainly have got his attention.
Graham has enjoyed a scintillating campaign in the Everton academy at Finch Farm, with serious questions being asked about a possible first-team call-up.
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.
Moyes has shared concerns about Graham’s physicality, but his latest four goals against Ipswich Town cannot be denied.
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton - Premier League 2
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Braiden Graham scores four for Everton’s U21s
Paul Tait has waxed lyrical about Graham, but he has also admitted that it would be difficult for him to play up front by himself in men’s football.
The 18-year-old kicked off the goals in a stunning 8-4 victory for the Young Blues at Goodison Park on Friday evening.
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Graham has now taken his tally up to 12 goals for the season in the Premier League 2 alone.
Scoring three inside 10 minutes in the second half quickly saw Graham complete his hat-trick before making it four for the game.
In recent weeks, Graham has trained with Everton’s senior side, but there is so much riding on the final weeks of the season for Moyes.
It has made a call-up seem unlikely, purely on the basis of what is at stake for the Toffees.
However, Graham is certainly putting himself in the right position ahead of the summer, where he will be targeting an opportunity to impress in pre-season.
Graham proves he can play up front by himself
Of course, playing in the Premier League as the lone striker would be a completely different scenario.
However, there could be games that may suit Graham’s style of play better than others.
“The reality of it is, if he’s going to get into somebody’s first team, and certainly in our first team, it will probably be off the sides,” said Tait.
Graham showed on Friday night just how clinical he can be through the middle against a high-flying Ipswich side.
It should give Moyes plenty of food for thought ahead of the summer.
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