It may well still be early days in the Sean Dyche regime at Everton, although the experienced Englishman has swiftly sparked increased hope of survival after overseeing two wins from his first three Premier League games in charge.
That solid opening has come despite the former Burnley man having hardly been handed the ideal start to life at Goodison Park, with the club opting not to strengthen during the January transfer window.
That lack of incomings has ensured that if the 51-year-old is to freshen up his squad in the coming months he may well have to look to the youth ranks instead, with there undoubtedly a handful of exciting assets just waiting to be unleashed.
One such starlet who is yet to enjoy a taste of senior action is 16-year-old sensation, Ishe Samuels-Smith, with the promising defender having only been on the cusp of the first team in recent times.
How is Ishe Samuels-Smith performing at youth level?
The versatile ace – who can feature at left-back or at centre-back – has been a consistent presence for both the Toffees’ U18 and U21 sides of late, having made 20 appearances so far this season across a variety of competitions.
Those standout showings – which have seen the Manchester native lauded as a player with a “bright future” ahead by The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland – have ensured that Samuels-Smith is rapidly moving his way up the age groups, having been named on the bench by former boss Frank Lampard for the League Cup defeat to AFC Bournemouth back in November.
That inclusion is a testament to just how highly-regarded the youngster is on Merseyside, with the England U17 international having also earned recognition from outside of the club, after being named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list for 2022.
The ‘athletic, left-footed defender’, as described by journalist Andy Hunter, has received a glowing summary regarding his talents in recent times, with Hunter stating:
‘The 16-year-old has impressive technical qualities and is very composed offensively and defensively. He is comfortable stepping into space with the ball and has an excellent passing range. Everton’s coaches consider him an exciting prospect who could mature into a dominant and robust defender.’
That positive assessment should well indicate that the eye-catching gem could be in line to make his senior bow sooner rather than later under Dyche, particularly with fellow defender Vitaliy Mykolenko currently struggling to perform at left-back.
Who could replace Vitaliy Mykolenko at Everton?
The Ukrainian international – who arrived in England on an £18m deal back in January 2022 – has arguably been something of a liability under the new manager despite the recent upturn in results, having notably been dribbled past on four occasions in the win over Arsenal.
That rather worrying outing has been followed by two more under-par displays since then, with the 23-year-old also being dribbled past on three occasions against rivals Liverpool, as well as a further three times against Leeds United last time out.
The loss at Anfield, in particular, laid bare the full-back’s shortcomings as he simply looked ‘out of his depth’ up against Mo Salah, according to 90min’s Jude Summerfield, having subsequently been described as Everton’s “defensive weak link” by reporter Richard Buxton.
With current understudy Ruben Vinagre having been a bystander to proceedings this season – making just four appearances across all fronts – it may well be the case that young Samuels-Smith proves to be the ideal man for the job on the left side of the defence.
The latter gem has already illustrated his quality during the club’s EFL Trophy run as he averaged two tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game from his four outings in the competition, with that a superior record to that of Mykolenko, who has averaged 1.7 and 1.3 for the same two metrics, respectively, from his 23 league appearances.
As such, while it may be a bold call for Dyche to dispense with the former Dynamo Kyiv man, Samuels-Smith does appear to be a potential superstar that is just waiting to be unleashed.