The difference here is that, on the whole, we probably recouped our transfer fees.

Holgate, ultimately found wanting, did more for us than Chermiti yet has, but I guess hope springs eternal. Also not sure why Niels Nkounkou ranks worse than the utter waste of talent that was Moise Kean.

Predicting how a youngster with potential will pan out is not an exact science. It seems to me it's mostly down to fluke luck. If you buy enough of them, eventually one or two will pay off and the scout that spotted them will be lauded as a genius.

Then all the ones that he recommended that turned out to be crap, or the good ones he missed altogether will be forgotten about.

Nkounkou isn't "solid" for Frankfurt anymore. He started only four games last season and he played a grand total of five minutes over the last three months of the season.

John #5, I was gonna mention Garbutt but you beat me to it!

I was really impressed with Galloway. I think of him and James Vaughan as 2 recent young players that I think would've been international standard if they hadn't had such horrific injuries.

Garbutt was a very talented player with loads of ability but lacked the intensity to make the breakthrough.

Others such as George Green were a disaster and Josh Bowler was unsuccessful.

Stones is an example of a big success. Despite being a Moyes regime signing, he benefited from Roberto being the manager as I'm not sure Moyes ever would've given him a run of games. Much like Mustafi and Eric Dier – Moyes had all 3 of them available to pick during his time as manager. And didn't give any of them a minute of action.

Within 3 years of leaving and no games under Moyes, Dier was playing for England.

Within 2 years of leaving and no games under Moyes. Mustafi won a World Cup.

Within 1 year of leaving and no games under Moyes. Stones was playing for England and in a World Cup stand by squad.

It's okay identifying the talent, but you have to have a structure in place that will allow it to flourish.

People go on about Dier but he wasn't really an Everton player, he was on loan to our Under-18s as Sporting wanted to "toughen him up" then he returned to their B team and later that season made his full Sporting debut.

So it wasn't like he was brought in as a Moyes signing per se. Based on Kevin Sheedy's remarks, Moyes probably didn't even know he existed if he was in the U18s on loan.

There could have been a disappointing category.

I think he just about squeezes into the 10 years category, but Tom Davies?

If we went a little bit further back, Jack Rodwell and Ross Barkley.

All started as exciting young players with talent and potential, but faded for various reasons. Maybe, especially with them being local, homegrown kids, we expected too much from them?

Holgate cost us points; his partner in crime, Michael Keane, probably cost us even more… but, when the chips were down, Holgate kept the ball alive against Palace and his partner suddenly turned into Dennis Bergkamp for a few glorious seconds!

This article highlights that it's very rare for the club to lose money when they sign young players — something Robert and Sam have been telling us on this website for years!

He had him in the midst of the club at a time when he was giving playing time to Magaye Gueye and Apostolos Vellios. He was with Everton 18 months in total and for Moyes to have been unaware of him is a sad indictment on Moyes if that is in fact the case.

The point being, Dier may not have been ready. And we will never know because Moyes wouldn't give him an opportunity.

Throughout the preseason he has refused to give opportunities to young players. If that is him trying to make a statement, then it is even more disappointing. He may think they are not good enough and he may be right. But how can it be known unless they are given a chance to prove themselves?

His handling of Rooney was appalling at times. He very rarely completed 90 mins and it was incredibly frustrating to see him held back on the bench until the last 10 minutes sometimes.

Moyes will only act when forced to do so. Changes and introduction of younger players have to be forced upon him.

And correct substitutions far too late (still).

We had no money but seemed willing to risk millions on foreign teenagers playing in poor leagues in the hope we could find a gem to make profit on them.

More recently the risks escalated with Moshiri. We got lucky with Onana, less so (but still got most of our money back) with Kean. But that was a combined £60M risk that should have been better invested in about 4 proven quality players.

A club with a good first team and plenty of cash / profit to spend can afford to take more risks. We have not been in a position to do so for 40 years!

1. Wanting to keep young players grounded and hungry to improve and develop into being the best they can be.

2. Looking after them for the long term, which used to mean slowly building up their game time, allowing their bodies to mature into the physicality of a demanding sport.

3. Until they sign a long-term contract, youngsters can and have been easily poached.

I think the majority of clubs now don't care if youngsters are overplayed. It's far more about the here and now, less about the next 3 years.

Injuries happen at any point. Player development and player welfare, my arse! It gets talked about a lot but everyone is in it for themselves.

I think Moyes would now handle the next Rooney very differently. I hope we get to put that to the test.

Moyes couldn't even get the best out the actual Rooney when he had him at Man Utd.

The reality is that these players can of course be poached. All our best players are always likely to be.

So make the most of them when we have them!

Rooney was 28 and on the way out of Man Utd when Moyes joined. That's Rooney's own words by the way.

Wayne said that Moyes gave him a new lease of life and he was their top scorer and top assister that season despite their poor season.

That said, I'd add two to the 'goods' even if we didn't get to benefit from them, Lookman, who I always felt we let go too easily and Antonee Robinson. Both can be said to have succeeded at the highest level. As can Gordon.

Lookman was of course one of our 'golden age' of 5 youngsters who helped England Under-20s win the World Cup not that long ago (6 if you include Davies who was around the squad at the time). Most of that cohort didn't kick on.

We were heading from Budapest to Bratislava, and had to do it by bus, as a sudden migration crisis from the Middle East had led to the suspension of the rail service. Anyway the bus station was close to their then-new football stadium, so as we had time to kill, I went over.

Once they'd established I was an Everton fan – they told me they were delighted that Bešić was to play for us – they thought playing in the Premier League would take him to another level.

He had a bad ACL injury whilst with us, and things started to unravel with Martinez at the helm, but after a couple of loans to Championship sides, he went back to "Fradi" as Ferencváros are known.

He's still playing today - at 32 - having signed for Spartak Subotica (which sounds like a Dutch nightclub) - in January this year.

Rooney was different — extra, extra special. Walter Smith wanted to play him in the first team when he was 15. Most of us recognised he was a standout unique player — Moyes didn't, kept him back if anything, and we lost out seeing less than we should have done.

As any youngster anywhere stood out as much as Wayne as a 16-year-old and stood the test of time like Wayne did, until Kenwright paid over the odds and brought him back when his best days were long gone!

From El Ghazi to Lindstrøm, this has been an absolute disaster and furthermore a continued waste of opportunities, as no one at all has had a major impact on Everton Football Club.

Ultimately, Everton have not been a good career choice for young players. Threats of relegation, changing managers, loaning out youth to reduce the wages bill (many out of sight, out of mind) and basically fucking about with their development with poor coaches and poor attitude (cheats) at Finch Farm.

Calvert Lewin is the perfect example: poorly developed on basic technique, played to aid spoiling tactics, on one of the many couches a lot, mental health problems and ending up delusional. If you play for a basket-case club, you end up a basket-case.

To a certain extent, this was the experience of many of the above players, but some managed to escape, but are probably scarred to some extent for the rest of their lives.

Branthwaite is a really good player to come through this, but should be playing for England. Onana, Kean, Lookman, Vlasic, Robinson, Garbutt (Ancelotti didn't know he was a nEverton player) all went on and did well in my opinion.

Everton have held on to older players too long. The 1-year extension has been a block on player development and added to the politics of attitude at the club, putting a drag on development.

It has now got to the stage that Everton have to be very careful of change for fear of destabilising the squad. Even I realised this in regard to the Summer transfer window and tempered my attitude as a result.

But change will be forced on Moyes by circumstances (injuries or underperforming players), whether he likes it or not. It is going to be the usual season for Everton.

I found the Stadium background strange against Roma. Everton looked that they needed more right-footed players, such was the performance on the right side of the pitch.

Yes, Jonjoe was a success. He would get selected now. A local lad too. One that got away.