Young right-back Roman Dixon has completed a loan move from Everton’s U21s to League One side Stockport County for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, finally securing a move that was months in the making.
The 21-year-old, who made his senior Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur last season, joins Dave Challinor's side as they push for promotion. For Dixon, the move marks a significant milestone in his recovery from a frustrating and lengthy period on the sidelines.
Dixon’s progress was cruelly halted last year by a serious ankle ligament injury that required surgery. The defender had been out of action since April 2025, missing the final stretch of the previous campaign and the entirety of the current season's first half inn Premier League 2 and the U21 cup campaigns.
The injury was particularly poorly timed, as it reportedly scuppered an original plan for him to join Stockport County on loan during the summer transfer window. Instead of making his mark in the League One, Dixon spent the last 9 months undergoing an intensive rehabilitation program at Finch Farm.
The first sign that Dixon was ready for senior football came just last week. In a high-stakes Premier League International Cup tie against RB Leipzig at Goodison Park, Dixon was named in the starting XI for Paul Tait’s Under-21s.
Tasked with playing only the first 45 minutes as part of a managed return to fitness, Dixon looked like he had never been away. Showing no signs of lingering hesitation, he provided the overlapping threat and recovery pace that have become his trademarks.
He was instrumental in a dominant first-half display that saw the young Blues take a 3-1 lead (eventually winning 5-1), nearly claiming an assist with a dangerous cross that just eluded the strikers before he was substituted at the break as planned.
It’s a relief to see Dixon back on the pitch and finally getting this loan move. At 21, he is at the age where academy football no longer offers the necessary intensity for growth, especially for a player whose game is built on physical dominance and recovery speed.
Stepping into a League One promotion battle after 9 months out is no easy challennge but Stockport play a system that should suit his marauding style. If he can stay fit and find his rhythm quickly, he could return to Everton in the summer ready to challenge for a permanent spot in the first-team matchday squad. His Everton contract runs through June 2027.
Manager Paul Tait confirmed after the Leipzig game that the plan was always to get Dixon through those 45 minutes unscathed before sending him out to Edgeley Park. He goes with the best wishes of the Everton faithful, who will be keeping a close eye on The Hatters results for the rest of the season.
Reader Comments (4)
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2 Posted 25/01/2026 at 12:07:52
A badly timed injury for himself, and the club has set him back.
As a club we need to be developing more young players, thats not to say we don't have an urgent need for a right back now.
Good luck to Roman
3 Posted 25/01/2026 at 12:18:42
It may be one we regret, like robinson, simms, nkounkou or even small who is doing great at preston.
4 Posted 25/01/2026 at 13:04:50
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1 Posted 25/01/2026 at 11:44:44
I would have been happier to see him joining a Championship team. But maybe that comes next season after he reestablishes full match fitness following such a long absence on the sidelines.