Braiden Graham took only a matter of hours to reply to David Moyes comments at Everton.
Although Everton will be without Beto for their trip to West Ham on Saturday, Graham has not received his first senior call-up.
It looks as if Moyes is going to have to rely on Thierno Barry and his other senior attacking options for the game at the London Stadium.
Moyes said Graham is not that close to his Everton debut, but admitted he is impressed with the 18-year-old.
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In the hours following his comments, Graham scored twice for Paul Tait’s U21s and showed Moyes exactly what he is missing out on.
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Braiden Graham shows how he can play as Everton’s lone striker
Paul Tait has said Graham couldn’t be Everton’s senior striker just yet.
The U21s manager firmly believes that if Graham was to earn a call-up from Moyes, the 18-year-old would have to play off the wing.
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Everton striker Thierno Barry. David Moyes managing Everton.
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In the last two Premier League 2 games, Graham has scored six goals from the lone striker position.
Against Watford on Friday, he was isolated for large parts of the game and had to work his defenders to create his own opportunities.
His first goal was incredibly well taken, with Graham peeling away from his man before taking a stunning first touch, which set him up on the edge of the box before stroking the ball into the far corner.
Braiden Graham in action for Everton U21s vs Watford.
Credit: evertontv
The composure shown was top quality and it was a goal that neither Thierno Barry nor Beto have shown they are capable of scoring.
However, he proved he can also be a threat inside the box from crosses, with the winning goal seeing Graham pull off a diving header.
Heading the ball is not Graham’s biggest strength, but he took the goal incredibly well to secure Everton’s spot in the next round.
Graham would offer Everton something completely different
Moyes has concerns over Graham’s stature and it is hard to disagree with him in some respects.
The 18-year-old would not offer the same physical presence as Beto – or even Barry – up front, but he would offer a creative outlet that has not been seen from an Everton striker in years.
Graham often drops deep in a similar style to how Harry Kane has done over recent years.
Braiden Graham in action for Everton U21s vs Watford.
Credit: evertontv
Sometimes dropping deep to simply get involved in the game, Graham is often seen picking up the ball inside Everton’s own half and attempting to find the wide men.
Whether that would wash under Moyes is another question, but Graham is a player who wants the ball at his feet.
What cannot be denied is Graham’s positive attitude on the ball to constantly look to make something happen.
Where Braiden Graham needs to improve
The obvious answer is that Graham needs to get some work in at the Finch Farm gym.
However, it must be emphasised that Graham is not a tall forward at around 5ft 9in, which means he cannot bulk up too much.
Tait felt Graham’s levels dropped recently following his recent injury issue.
Graham is a maverick, who is capable of playing in the style he does due to his slight physique.
Everton cannot build the 18-year-old up too much or they risk losing what makes him the player he is.
Having said that, there is still room for Graham to work on his hold up play if he is to become the starting Everton striker at some point.
There were also a number of opportunities when Graham had the ball at his feet during an attack but failed to play the ball to a teammate.
Although Graham prefers to peel off the shoulder of his defender and get in behind, Moyes will expect him to get a hold of the ball and bring his teammates into the game.
If he can translate his form in front of goal into the men’s game there won’t be many concerns from Everton’s 62-year-old boss.
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