Blues linked with Dundee United duo

Everton scouts have been to a lot of Dundee Utd games this season if local papers are to be believed up here. Four or five young players have been mentioned including these two and Ryan Gauld who scouts from all over Europe have been looking at.

I hope the "Baby Messi" turns out to be better than the "Scottish Rooney"

I watched Ryan Gauld a rew weeks ago. Serious little player. Ran the show.

Watched highlights of this Gauld kid, from what I seen he's going to be some player.

As good as it is to be scouting young players with great potential I hope we are also focusing on players who can come straight into the first team squad in January. Our squad is wafer thin compared to our top 4 rivals especially with Gibson and Kone out for the season.

Pretty sure Gauld has signed a new contract in the last week.

What happened to Kennedy? With Deulofeu out, Mirallas needs someone else keeping him on his toes.

I'm not sure if the Scottish Leagues really are a good enough breeding ground for top class International standard football players any more. We have taken their most talented players, McFadden and Naismith, from the last 10 years, and whilst they are obviously good pros, are they really up to Champions League football?

Naismith looked a world beater for Rangers but it seems to me you get so much more time on the ball North of the Border. Watching their Second Division players, they look like park footballers sadly.

I would love the two Icelandic lads we were discussing last week. They would fit right in. Both strikers. Either one would do.

I started supporting Everton based on following James McFadden's move down South. His career maybe wasn't as good as hoped; however, I think he suffered a little from being stuck onto the wing and having his confidence to create eroded by the management structure we are now mercifully rid of. I would have been interested to see how a young McFadden would have turned out under Martinez.

James McCarthy was signed from the second tier of Scottish football as a teenager and is a key player for us who made Wigan a 15 million pound profit, so to imply that a teenager isn't a viable prospect because they happen to be playing in Scotland is ridiculous.

The Dundee United youngsters are impressive with Gauld being the pick of the bunch, the messi thing is from his team mates cause he is wee and runs like him. As Gauld himself said, the only Messi thing about him is his bedroom.

Two-footed with tremendous vision (four assists in a single game, all defense splitting passes on the ground) I would be ecstatic if we signed him, I'd take Mackay Steven too — he is quick, direct and has enormous ability.

I would add Scotland won the Victory Shield this year playing with the ball on the deck.

Michael Ward @146 — Gauld signed new contract on his 18th birthday as rules prevented him signing long-term contract while he was still under that age. United have recently got Robertson, Stuart Armstrong & Gauld on long term contracts while Souttar signed an improved contact but is still under 18. Think they are trying to get Mackay Steven tied down as well.

Although Gauld is the one that is getting raved about, Armstrong is already captain of Scotland U21s and may just be the pick of the bunch.

Kevin, you can't dismiss players just because of where they play. Kennedy is still very young and doing well for the U21 team this season. Perhaps he may get a loan out in the second half of the season or next year and then be ready to break into the team when he's 20/21 .

Sam, I haven't by any means dismissed him. I raise the issue because he was getting rave reports from some games and has played first team football in Scotland so I'm surprised he isn't being spoken of as a replacement for Delofeou.

Everton have a fantastic tradition of recruiting Scottish players, John McLaughlin and John Connelly were two of my heroes in the '70s and then there is of course Alex Young. I do wonder if Kennedy might be better off on loan if he can't get near the first team.

Also I've nothing against the Scots – if they claim independence, I might be tempted to move there!

RE Iain Thomson's point. You can't dismiss a player at that age because he's from Scotland. A brilliant teenager could be from anywhere. What's important is the 18-21 stage. If they stay in Scotland they probably won't develop the way they would in England, so buying them at that age is fine, although we'd still have a job to do in continuing their development.

Is it my imagination, or are we being linked with fewer players compared to the same period in previous seasons? Perhaps Roberto's a lot better than OFM at keeping things under wraps?

Chris. You might be right. Lukaku was a bit of a shock. Out of left field, as they say in Yankee-land.

That said, he never hid his interest in McCarthy, Scouting him personally before taking him to Wgan then offering what seemed over the odds many weeks before we could bring him to us. Sort of a "handsoff" warning to other clubs.

Interesting to see we are still rumoured to have joined Celtic and Villa in the chase for Alfred Finnbogason, the Icelandic hot-shot, recently praised by Van Basten. This doesn't sound like a Martinez manoeuvre.

Scotland was noted for its along the ground style, much more so than England ever was.

I don't like this hype over him. "Baby Messi"

Is he though really lets be honest?

Sam, you seem to be very stand-offish when it comes to realistic criticism of this kid.

I don't think he's actually that good. Just because some media firms in Scotland have called him the "next Messi", we all go crazy about him.

How come no-one signed him in the summer if he was so good? Why are we only hearing about him now?

Ross, how many times have you sen him play?

Ross Edwards @438 Young Mr Gauld himself states that "the only thing Messi about him is his bedroom". He is a very good young player who has the ability and potential to go very far in the gamebut has also said himself that he feels the continental game may suit him better.

Let me turn that around on you Sam. How many times have YOU seen him play?

Don't say, once or twice because that isn't enough to prove his ability as a top light player.

For the record, I have never watched this kid, I had never heard of him until a few weeks ago, hence my doubts of his "Messiesque" credentials he is claimed to have.

Any young player who breaks onto the scene, has a low centre of gravity, and can dribble a little seems to get labelled the new Messi. Although this lad is good, I definitely wouldn't be describing him as that. I wonder what the media would be saying about George Green if he was up there? They're about the same age and I wouldn't say that Ryan is any better.

There's another lad who's been nicknamed the new Messi at Fulham who's name I can't remember; he looks like he could be something special and I've thought for a little while now that Will Hughes of Derby looks a decent player already.

Richard. Spot on. As many, including Sam have previously mentioned on TW, Will Hughes is a special young talent. So intelligent in everything he does. If we don't get him he may well end up across the park.

Ross, I've only seen highlights of him. Certainly not enough to say with any surety that he's brilliant. But he definitely looked good. If you've not seen him at all then how on earth can you say that he isn't?! You're making a judgement based on what...female intuition?

The messi stuff is tabloid nonsense hype of course but there's no smoke without fire and chances are that he's doing something right if he's on the radar of so many big clubs.

Will Hughes I have seen a little more on the championship reviews and for eng u21. He looks very handy, though possibly a similar type to Barkley.

As an update, Roberto was at Tannadice yesterday along with our chief scout to watch Dundee United's young team come back from two goals down to Hibs.

Limited highlights of the game on BBC Scotland last didn't show how well the young players previously mentioned played.