Everton’s academy has produced a steady stream of talent in recent decades, with plenty of managers benefitting from their stellar youth acquisition and production.
It seems that every year or two there is a new shining light of the academy, with Anthony Gordon standing as a recent success story given how he earned the club £45m for his admittedly underwhelming displays.
It shows just how profitable it can be to focus on the development of young stars, whether it be for instant resale or to bolster the senior squad.
Given their current inadequacies upfront, and the continued injury struggles of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, perhaps Sean Dyche could look to once again dip into the academy to find a replacement for the unreliable marksman.
They cannot keep assuming his return to fitness will spark a change in fortunes; they must be proactive and unleash someone of the ilk of Francis Okoronkwo sooner rather than later.
Who is Francis Okoronkwo?
Having moved to Merseyside as a 17-year-old, the teenage starlet now finds himself a mainstay in the U21s having proved himself a cut above U18s football.
This season has seen him earn that promotion, with four goal contributions in just three games in the U18 Premier League affording him a further 19 appearances in the Premier League 2.
Whilst there he has scored just twice, assisting once. It is hardly stellar but marks a fine first season at this level.
Billed as a skilful attacker boasting lightning-quick speed and movement, he admitted on the official Everton website that his current favourite player at Everton was Calvert-Lewin.
Perhaps by modelling himself in his image, he could soon get his chance to replace him.
With a keen eye for goal too, for which journalist Paddy Boyland once lauded his propensity for a “composed finish”, the 18-year-old had recently outlined his desire to break into the first team suggesting his preparedness for the step up.
He claimed back in January: “My ambition now is to be that focal point for the Under-21s, be the No.9 that all the players can rely on.
“I want to play more minutes, score more, keep adding assists and hopefully towards the end of the season, have a few sessions with the First Team to get a taste for what that’s like in the coming years. You can see there’s a pathway to the senior squad.”
With a hunger to improve and a goal record not to be snuffed at, Okoronkwo is well on his way to being that perfect heir to the injury-prone Calvert-Lewin.
