Everton have seen a number of top players graduate from their academy.
Wayne Rooney is of course the most notable example whilst Jarrad Branthwaite is flying that flag at the moment having polished his skill set with the under-21s following a £1m switch from Carlisle United.
The Toffees are hopeful Roman Dixon will be a future first-teamer and he has already made his senior debut this term.
Dixon produced a very impressive showing against Tottenham Hotspur back in August in place of the injured Seamus Coleman.
But there’s one academy star who’s making the most noise of anyone and Conor Coady has backed him to have a really big future at Everton.
Conor Coady
certain Harrison Armstrong has a massive future
Coady, speaking on the Still Ryan podcast, revealed that he coached Harrison Armstrong when he was doing his coaching badges at Everton a couple of years ago.
At the time, Armstrong was playing for the under-16s and Coady could tell straight away that he was going to be a top player.
“I coached Harrison Armstrong which was mad and he’s now playing in the first team,” the now Leicester defender said.
Harrison Armstrong given big break at Derby County
Late on in the window, Everton made the decision to send 18-year-old Armstrong on loan to Championship outfit Derby County.
Moyes told Armstrong to ‘go and enjoy yourself’ as he looks to help Derby retain their second-tier status under Paul Warne.
It’s a big step for a player who’s only recently celebrated their 18th birthday, but it evinces just how highly rated he is around Finch Farm and evidently by Derby.
Everton will be keeping close tabs on how he fares.
Everton now have to put the January transfer window behind them with FA Cup action to play on the weekend.
David Moyes has been able to steady the ship on Merseyside over recent weeks with three wins on the bounce in the Premier League.
Not a great deal of business was done by the Toffees over the window with Carlos Alcaraz Everton’s only signing.
Despite being on a seriously impressive run of form, Saturday’s game against Bournemouth could be a welcomed break from Premier League action.
Given there are so many injury issues plaguing the Everton side, it will be interesting to see whether the 61-year-old looks to make some significant changes.
Asmir Begovic impresses in Everton training
Everton have been struck by some serious injuries, with the likes of Orel Mangala missing the rest of the season through a knee ligament issue.
It may be difficult for Moyes to break up a winning side, but he knows fine well that Everton’s goal for the season is to remain in the Premier League.
One player has seemingly really impressed in training at Finch Farm this week with Asmir Begovic posting a video from his work between the sticks.
