Armstrong proves that youth can be trusted

The fuss about the draw between Everton and Wolves on Wednesday has created a lot of extra pressure during Saturday’s FA Cup match with Sunderland.

A decent first half performance against the Premier League’s bottom club gave way to a self-destructive second half at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

David Moyes failed to act decisively and his tardiness from the touchlines resulted in Mateus Mane restoring parity, before Michael Keane – who had scored Everton’s opener and had previously hit the post – was shown a straight red card for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair; Whether that act was worthy of violent behavior is up for debate, but it was a ridiculous decision from a hugely experienced centre-back. Jack Grealish’s irritability then got the better of him, and Everton were ultimately forced to hold on for a point in a match they had played in before.

But plenty will be written about Everton’s capitulation. About how Everton are under pressure, but ultimately it’s as much about Moyes, Angus Kinnear and the rest of the club’s transfer committee as anything else.

However, with Everton so tense, they have turned to Harrison Armstrong, bringing the youngster back from his loan spell at Preston North End to strengthen the squad.

However, that only made sense if Armstrong saw meaningful minutes. He played regularly and excellently for Preston, and in an ideal world he would have paid off his loan for the rest of the campaign. There is still a good chance that Armstrong will return to the Championship club before the end of January, if Everton’s midfield crisis subsides.

But while Moyes was reluctant to bring in other youngsters – namely Adam Aznou and big-money Tyler Dibling – he showed little reluctance to throw Armstrong straight into the mix.

A promising cameo against Brentford on Sunday was aided by Armstrong getting his first Premier League start against Wolves. He became the youngest player to start a top-flight game for the Toffees since Jarrad Branthwaite in 2020.

And certainly in the first half he didn’t seem out of place at all.

It was immediately clear that Armstrong is ready for Premier League football. Every pass was positive; the confidence and swagger he played with were indicative of a player who has excelled this season.

He made tackles, played neat balls into the final third, linked up well with Grealish and showed great feet to evade some big challenges.

Armstrong tired in the second half, as was to be expected, and Moyes should see himself there as having missed an opportunity to ensure the momentum stayed with Everton.

In the end, Armstrong played 87 minutes. No doubt about 15 minutes too many, but if anything it’s a testament to the confidence Moyes already has in him, and proof that age is just a number.

Armstrong should get another chance to impress from the start on Saturday and over the next three weeks the 18-year-old has the chance to show that he doesn’t have to return to Preston after all, but can become a regular part of this Everton team for the rest of the season.

In the meantime, Moyes should learn from this too. Armstrong has shown that youngsters can be trusted – why can’t the Scot turn to Dibling and Aznou more often? Why can’t he avoid certain, more experienced players, who actually show very little when it comes to suggesting they have a future at the club.

Armstrong certainly has a future, and an extremely bright one, at Everton. There will be ups and downs, but in what will be a bleak start to 2026, the teenager is a bright spot.

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