Everton might have their very own Jude Bellingham, David Moyes will love the things he’s hearing

Everton manager David Moyes smiles. To his right is a picture of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.

It’s been a while since Everton had a really big talent emerge out of their academy.

Anthony Gordon, now at Newcastle, is probably the best active player to have plied his trade at Finch Farm as a youngster, while Wayne Rooney is undoubtedly the best of the last few decades.

Antonee Robinson, Isaac Price, Tom Cannon, Eric Dier and Tom Davies are among the more recent ones to have developed on the blue side of Merseyside. However, only two of them (Robinson at Fulham and Dier at Monaco) play for top-tier sides.

David Moyes does have some exciting young players to choose from currently at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

However, the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Tyler Dibling and Tim Iroegbunam all started their careers elsewhere and there were no academy graduates in the last matchday squad when Everton lost 2-0 to Manchester City.

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Harrison Armstrong is starting to shine at Preston
But, out on loan, Everton’s best young talent Harrison Armstrong is starting to flourish and show signs that he’s one for Evertonians to be really excited about.

Armstrong was hailed for his “colossal” performance in Preston’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United at Deepdale on Saturday by the Lancashire Evening Post, while BBC Radio Lancashire’s Andy Bayes shared how highly David Unsworth spoke of the “gem” of a midfielder.

As per stats by Sofascore, the 18-year-old completed both of his two dribbles against the Blades, won 70 per cent of his duels and crafted one key pass on Preston’s way to victory.

Harrison Armstrong’s stats vs Sheffield United
Credit: Sofascore
Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom has also been impressed by Armstrong, recently saying: “I really like Harrison.

“I think he can get better still. As I’ve seen him play more, there’s one or two things I want to challenge him on but I really like how he plays, what he’s like as a lad.

“He’s 18 and has got a really good future because he’s already a very good player at this level, but I can see where he can improve further.”

Since joining Preston on loan on transfer deadline day, the England Under-19 international has played eight times, taking part in just two defeats for the Lilywhites as they hunt down a surprise promotion from the Championship.

Harrison Armstrong with his arms outstretched
Credit: Imago
While a Preston return to the top-flight for the first time since 1960-61 seems unlikely, captain Ben Whiteman is sure that Armstrong is going to be a “top-quality, Premier League player” in the future.

What has David Moyes said about Harrison Armstrong?
It’s fair to say that while Moyes is a big fan of Armstrong, the Everton manager is completely realistic about his chances of getting a shot in the Premier League right now.

Moyes ummed and ahhed about loaning out the Liverpool-born sensation in the summer transfer window, eventually deciding it was the best thing for him due to the increased game-time he’ll get at Deepdale.

Armstrong has only played eight times for Everton’s first team.
He made every single matchday squad in the Premier League last season before being loaned to Derby in January.
While at Pride Park, Armstrong made 15 Championship appearances and scored one goal, which came against Plymouth in March.
“I could have kept Harrison but I didn’t know if he was ready to be a starter yet,” said Moyes earlier this season.

“I thought he played really well against Mansfield, he’s played well in a couple of games he’s been in. But I actually thought that another 15, 20 games in the Championship would be another stage.

“He’s 18 years old, there’s one or two very talented 17-year-old players playing in the Premier League at the moment, but in the main… he’s young for a midfield player.

Everton manager David Moyes smiling.
Credit: Imago
“And he’s still got a bit of physical attributes to grow into. So I’m hoping that Preston’s a good base for him, I believe it is, and he gets some game time and comes back stronger again.”

What do Harrison Armstrong and Jude Bellingham have in common?
Armstrong is very much a box-to-box midfielder.

Last year, the Everton wonderkid even said that he’s trying to learn from watching Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.

“My main position is central midfield, but sometimes I do play on the wing, too. I like to play box-to-box and get forward to join attacks,” said Armstrong.

“I’ve always tried to model my game on someone like Luka Modric due to his technical ability. But more recently I’ve tried to learn from watching Jude Bellingham, I enjoy what he’s able to do at such a young age. He’s such a leader.”

Now, while we don’t want to sit here and say that Armstrong will reach the levels of England and Real Madrid’s midfield star – especially on the day of El Clásico – there are definite similarities in the way they perform.

Harrison Armstrong and Jude Bellingham’s stats compared.
Credit: FBRef/Imago
As per stats by FBRef, Bellingham is clearly ahead in some of the main categories for a box-to-box midfielder.

However, Armstrong is running the ex-Birmingham star close for progressive passes and take-ons completed per 90 minutes, while even doing better when it comes to interceptions.

Of course, playing for Real Madrid is a bit different to playing for Preston, so the stats are never going to properly match up. But there are clearly signs with Armstrong that he’s developing into the closest thing Everton have to the Bernabeu’s main man.