Everton will no doubt be happy to have unearthed so many top-flight products from their academy.
Merseyside’s blue halves like Anthony Gordon and John Stones should be grateful for starting their Premier League careers before Newcastle United and Manchester City were able to lure them, but Everton have undoubtedly gotten more than they expected from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, previously signed as an 18-year-old prospect from Sheffield United.
Calvert-Lewin would go on to score 71 goals in 273 games, but he will know that his rise to first-team glory with the Toffees pales in comparison to Wayne Rooney’s remarkable rise from teenage prodigy at Goodison Park to world-beater with Manchester United.
David Moyes was the manager who gave Rooney his first chance at Everton’s senior mix aged just 16, and the Scot is now looking to identify which of the promising young players at his disposal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium could have a wide-ranging career at the top.
Everton’s most promising young player at the moment
Many members of the Everton Under-21 team are currently dreaming of Rooney’s moment in the spotlight under manager Glasgow.
Former Arsenal youth player turned Toffees star Omari Benjamin, who has scored twice in Premier League 2 this season, may feel he deserves a first-team chance soon, especially if Beto continues to disrupt the lines on Merseyside.
He currently has a total of 12 goals for the Under-21s, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the 19-year-old rising star gets minutes for the men’s national team.
Other high-profile names include Justin Clarke, who has scored twice in Premier League 2 this season, and Joel Catesby, an 18-year-old who is more of a creative force than a scoring threat, having racked up seven assists so far for both the Under-18s and Under-21s.
Moyes will have to make careful decisions with some of these promising stars, but the gap between youth football and the pressures of the Premier League is notoriously difficult to bridge.
That’s why young-focused managers will be delighted to have this exciting youngster on loan from Everton. The Toffees may have the best prospect since Rooney arrived.
Everton’s biggest prospect since Rooney
The once-distinguished No. 18 scored 17 goals and provided four assists for the Toffees during his first stint on Merseyside and never looked back after breaking into the first team aged just 16, but it turned out to be just the beginning of an incredible story in the Premier League.
Harrison Armstrong hopes his current loan spell at Preston North End will be an equally memorable first chapter that he can look back on in years to come after his breakout spell with Everton’s first team, and one Preston-based content creator has already hinted at a “big future” for him beyond Deepdale.
Armstrong, also on loan at Lancashire and receiving man of the match honors, scored seven points in 90 minutes and was just the kind of spirit Preston needed to secure a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Sheffield United on Friday night.
With three assists next to his name in the Everton first-team picture, it is clear that Armstrong will be well on his way to the first team under Moyes once this formative period is complete, and he was previously described by journalist Richard Buxton as a “candidate for a first-team regular” at Everton.
Armstrong’s career numbers so far | ||
|---|---|---|
club | game | Goal + Assist |
Everton U18 | twenty two | 5+1 |
derby county | 15 | 1 + 0 |
Everton U21 | 15 | 3+1 |
everton | 8 | 0+3 |
Preston | 8 | 0 |
Source: Transfermarkt | ||
The bold claims don’t stop there, with another Preston-minded voice also wildly stating that he would “one day play for England” long after his Championship journey was over.
After all, players like Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins will still be forever grateful for the education they received in their respective EFL careers before earning their Three Lions caps.
Everything is pointing towards Armstrong becoming Everton’s brightest prospect since Rooney’s whirlwind, and it’s now up to the 18-year-old to succeed with all the hype weighing on him.