The top five U21 Everton players to watch this season
Chermiti
Sean Dyche confirmed that Chermiti would miss the start of the season due to a foot injury which was a huge blow to the club.
The Portuguese joined as a 19-year-old from Sporting Lisbon last summer and made 21 appearances from the bench.
Preseason brought the young striker a lot of success after scoring twice late on against Sligo Rovers in the start of what could be his breakthrough season this year once he returns from injury.
Roman Dixon
Nineteen-year-old defender Roman Dixon earned praise for his debut against Tottenham this season after having won a number of duels versus Wilson Odobert and Son Heung-min late on in the game.
The youngster was thrown in at the deep end for his debut after becoming an impressive figure for the clubs U21’s side over the past year.
He has captured the attention of Dyche as well as fans who want a breath of fresh air in a defensive line that seems to leak goals each season.
Tim Iroegbunam
Iroegbunam joined from Aston Villa this summer and signed a deal until the end of June 2027.
He is a young player who is still developing but he certainly has the quality to help turn Everton’s midfield problems around.
Dyche spoke on the youngster and why he feels he can make an impact this season.
"One of the keys is he has had Premier League experience and he’s had experience in the Championship, he gets the physicality of it, the pace of it, the feel of it and that’s shown during pre-season. He’s done very well, and the other players are learning that, players who haven’t quite played there."
Reece Welch
Welch was the subject of interest from Al-Ettifaq and Reading in recent weeks as a loan move could help the youngster reach his full potential.
The central defender has been limited to just two senior appearances for the Toffees and has struggled to break into Dyche's immediate plans due to the likes of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite being favoured above him.
As such, he has now been sent away on loan to Belgian club KMSK Deinze.
Welch is an exciting asset for the club and with the right amount of game time in Belgium he could become a first-team player in the near future.
Stan Mills
Mills is hoping to get back out on the pitch by the autumn after suffering a nasty injury while on loan at Oxford United last season.
The 20-year-old winger established himself as a key player at Oxford before being ruled out for the rest of the season.
He spoke about his return from injury in a recent interview.
“The rehab is going well, so I’m cracking on with that. Roughly it’ll be September or October time if everything goes to plan.
“Touch wood that happens and I can get fit again. There are good times and bad times, as there are when you’re playing, but I’ve got my head around it now.
“I’m just cracking on and working hard at the gym.”
Mills became a fan favourite at Oxford where he provided seven assists and scored one goal in the 3-0 win at Fleetwood Town in last September.
Now he looks to return within the next few months and help Everton climb up the table in what could be another exciting addition to the squad.