Leon Osman raves over £15m Everton gem after near ‘best moment’ in Manchester United defeat

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman was impressed by what he saw from Youssef Chermiti in his brief cameo against Manchester United.

Youssef Chermiti was only introduced to the fray against Manchester United on Sunday evening in the 82nd minute, at which point Everton were 3-0 down and the game was all but over. However, the 19-year-old striker still found time to make an impression.

He posed a threat to the Manchester United rearguard with his height and physicality, and came close with one effort late on.

Everton paid £15 million to sign the Portuguese forward from Sporting Lisbon in the recent summer transfer window. However, opportunities for him to impress at Goodison Park have been somewhat limited so far.

To date, he has made six first team appearances for the Toffees, across all competitions. His only start came against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup, when he was taken off after 45 minutes. In Premier League terms, he has barely ever had more than a handful of minutes handed to him as a very late substitute.

Clearly, Chermiti was a signing made with the future in mind. However, he looks to have settled in well, and has all the raw materials required to become a very impressive striker. Sean Dyche is clearly keen to afford him opportunities when he can, and the youngster looked confident and full of endeavour when he came on against Manchester United.

Mansfield Town v Everton U21: EFL Trophy
Photo by Emma Simpson – Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images
Youssef Chermiti pushing for more minutes at Everton
He certainly caught the eye of Leon Osman. The former midfielder, who made over 400 appearances for the Merseyside club in his playing career, spared a word for Chermiti whilst reporting on the match for BBC Radio Five Live, as quoted by BBC Sport (26/11/2023, 18:20). After Chermiti flashed an effort just wide, Osman said, “We’ve seen flashes of Youssef Chermiti since he’s been at Everton. He’s had a couple of substitute appearances, he’s had moments here and there. That was nearly his best moment in a blue shirt.”

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Of course, whilst it would have been a mere consolation in the context of this match, had that effort gone in it would have been a huge moment for Chermiti. The teenager is yet to score for the Everton senior team, and to open his account in a Premier League encounter with Manchester United would have been a special moment for the Portugal under-20 international.

Assuming he stays fit and available, Chermiti will be handed plenty of opportunities off the bench as the season goes on. Because of his youth and place in the pecking order, there is no great pressure on him yet. However, if he can build on this brief showing he could soon start creating some pressure of his own on Dyche to hand him more minutes.