Everton have one game remaining to save their deeply disappointing season, with their status in the top-flight relying on the results of the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Toffees have been a club in the first division for the past 72 years, with their last relegation coming in 1951, showing the magnitude of issues the club are battling today.
Sean Dyche has got the team reunited, but all will come down to the weekend’s match-up against Bournemouth to determine whether the Merseyside giants will survive.
In a season that has suffered so many set-backs both on the pitch, it will be a critical summer for Dyche regardless of Everton’s status in the Premier League at a time when he can evaluate his squad ahead of next term.
It will be a chance for youth players to exploit the underperforming first-teamer’s this pre-season, with no one’s place in the starting XI necessarily guaranteed the negative situation could pave the way for a positive outcome for a young star.
One budding gem that has made a significant breakthrough in the premature stages of his career is academy star Coby Ebere, who has been at the club since the age of 11.
Who is Coby Ebere?
17-year-old Ebere signed his first professional contract with the club in September last year, penning a three-year deal keeping him at Goodison Park until at least 2025.
The youngster is a valued member of Leighton Baines’ U18 squad, playing predominantly as a left-winger, boasting great pace as echoed on the club’s official website.
Born in Germany, the youngster with Nigerian heritage has been pivotal in his side’s success this season, sitting fourth in the U18 Premier League table.
The forward has scored eight times in 18 appearances in the league campaign, including a goal against bitter rivals Liverpool in November that saw the Blues win 2-1.
Lauded by members of the scouting world as being a “freakish” figure in the U18’s squad, the teenager has caught the eye of many for being "built like an Olympic sprinter."
Could Coby Ebere follow in the footsteps of McNeil?
Everton’s current outlet on the left wing is Dwight McNeil, who has been a strong performer in what has been an abysmal year for the Toffees.
The 23-year-old may not be of the same athletic profile to Ebere but they are certainly similar in play style, both boasting a directness and keen eye for goal, as told by his seven Premier League strikes this term.
Ebere could hope to follow in the young Englishman’s footsteps, who he could see as a player that has progressed from a rising star to a reputable top-flight player thanks to Dyche who nurtured his talent at Burnley.
Speaking a post-match press conference – as relayed by FotMob – when McNeil was just 19, Dyche was full of praise for the youngster expressing his delight in witnessing his progress:
“He continues to grow. Every time I wonder whether I should leave him out, I think, ‘No, keep the boy playing’. It’s good for him and good for us.”
Ebere could examine McNeil’s rise to stardom and growth working with the current Everton boss, and hope to emulate his success en route to the first team. Having been handed a contract, the script is in the 17-year-old ace’s destiny to write.