Armstrong proves that youth can be trusted

The furore over Everton’s draw with Wolves on Wednesday has put plenty of extra pressure on Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Sunderland.

A decent first-half display against the Premier League's bottom club made way for a self-destructive second half at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

David Moyes failed to act decisively and his inertia from the touchlines resulted in Mateus Mane restoring parity, before Michael Keane — who had scored Everton’s opener and hit the post earlier on — received a straight red card for pulling on Tolu Arokodare’s hair; whether that act was worthy of violent conduct is up for debate, but it was a ridiculous decision from a vastly experienced centre-back. Jack Grealish’s petulance then got the better of him, and Everton ended up having to cling on for a point in a match they had previously been cruising in.

But there will be enough written about Everton’s capitulation. About how Everton are stretched — but ultimately, that is as much on Moyes, Angus Kinnear and the rest of the club’s transfer committee as anything else.

However, Everton being so stretched has meant they have turned to Harrison Armstrong, bringing the youngster back from his loan spell at Preston North End in order to pad out the squad.

There was only sense to that, though, if Armstrong was going to see meaningful minutes. He had been playing regularly, and excellently, at Preston, and in an ideal world, he would have seen out his loan for the rest of the campaign. There is still a good chance that Armstrong will return to the Championship club before the end of January, if Everton’s midfield crisis abates.

But while Moyes has been reluctant to use other youngsters — namely Adam Aznou and big-money signing Tyler Dibling — he showed little reluctance in throwing Armstrong straight into the mix.

A promising cameo against Brentford on Sunday was backed up by Armstrong being handed his first Premier League start against Wolves. He became the youngest player to start a top-flight match for the Toffees since Jarrad Branthwaite in 2020.

And, certainly in the first half, he did not look out of place whatsoever.

Immediately, it was clear that Armstrong is ready for Premier League football. Every pass was positive; the confidence and swagger in which he played was demonstrative of a player that has been excelling this term.

He was nipping into tackles, playing neat, threaded balls into the final third, linking up well with Grealish, and showing great feet to evade some hefty challenges.

Armstrong did tire in the second half, as would be expected, and Moyes should look at himself there as having missed an opportunity to ensure the momentum remained with Everton.

In the end, Armstrong featured for 87 minutes. Arguably 15 minutes or so too many, but it is at least a testament to the trust Moyes already has in him, and proof that age is just a number.

Armstrong should get another chance to impress from the off on Saturday, and in the next three weeks, the 18-year-old has the opportunity to show that he does not need to go back to Preston after all, but instead can become a regular feature of this Everton team for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Moyes should learn from this, too. Armstrong has shown that youngsters can be trusted — why can the Scot not turn to Dibling and Aznou more regularly? Why can he not get out of his own way with certain, more experienced players, who really do show very little when it comes to suggesting they have a future at the club.

Armstrong certainly has a future, and an extremely bright one, at Everton. There will be ups and downs, but in what is turning into a glum start to 2026, the teenager is a bright spot.

 

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