Everton have high hopes for Harrison Armstrong, who left the club in January to join Derby County on loan.
Harrison Armstrong had made a handful of appearances for the Toffees this season, after making his debut against Tottenham Hotspur back in August.
In the end, the decision was taken to let Armstrong head out to play regular minutes.
Given the spate of injury problems David Moyes has had to contend with recently, one wonders if the Scot regrets that decision.
Moyes told Armstrong to ‘enjoy himself’, and seemingly the youngster has been making a good early impression.
Armstrong impressed Derby fans on his debut against Norwich City – and yesterday, Armstrong was handed his first start for the Rams.
READ MORE: Harrison Armstrong’s first step away from Everton has already taken a major blow
How Harrison Armstrong played on full debut for Derby after leaving Everton on loan
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Derby are in a spot of bother at the moment, and are currently bottom of the Championship table.
They were on course to take three points against Middlesbrough yesterday, but a mistake by Kayden Jackson led to Finn Azaz turning the ball in for an equaliser.
A victory would have taken them off the bottom and above Plymouth Argyle, who didn’t play due to being in FA Cup action against Manchester City.
It was a disappointing result for the Rams, but Armstrong’s performance has drawn praise in the media.
Derbyshire Live reported that Armstrong ‘was undeniably one of the day’s positives’, and that he ‘certainly showed promise’.
In the game, he showed that he could play on both sides of the pitch, made a few good strong tackles and also showed that he was happy to take the ball in tight spaces.
And when he got the ball, his first thought was often to play forwards.
Derbyshire Live said that he was not overawed by facing a top six side.
The one thing the publication did note was that Armstrong did tire in the second-half which affected his passing at times. But apparently, ‘you can see why Everton are excited by his potential’.
Armstrong verdict will please David Moyes
It’s great to hear positive words about Armstrong, a player Everton are genuinely excited about.
The 18-year-old has already dipped his toe in the Premier League and will hopefully enjoy a really productive spell at Pride Park before returning to Merseyside in the summer.
His card has been marked by Moyes, and it would be fantastic to see an academy player break into the first-team ahead of the new stadium move.
Evertonians would absolutely love to see the birth of
a new star to go along with the new stadium.
