Everton have a proud history of producing their own talent, and Jarrad Branthwaite thinks the next big name is already in the first team.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Leon Osman and Ross Barkley all came through at Finch Farm, and more recently Anthony Gordon followed the same path.

Jarrad Branthwaite backs Harrison Armstrong

Taking on a round of quickfire questions with the Premier League’s official media, the centre-back named his Everton teammate Harrison Armstrong.

“I’ll go Harrison Armstrong,” Jarrad Branthwaite said, before jokingly adding: “He’ll think he’s the present now, though, so I’ll say he’s a future star.”

To be fair, Armstrong might have a point. The 19-year-old has become a regular under David Moyes this season, starting all 10 of Everton’s Premier League games so far. The next step for him would be adding goals to his repertoire, because we’ve seen him get in some good areas recently but fail to convert.

Everton must tie Harrison Armstrong down

Branthwaite isn’t the only one who rates him, though. Armstrong came close to leaving in the summer, when The Friedkin Group almost sold him to Nottingham Forest.

It took a huge backlash from Everton fans for the club to back out of the deal. In the end, Iliman Ndiaye was sold to Manchester City instead to help balance the books, and Armstrong stayed put.

Now there’s fresh interest. According to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, Xabi Alonso’s side have a “keen interest” in the midfielder. With his contract running until June 2028, Everton need to act now and get a new deal sorted.

Armstrong is a boyhood Blue, and he’s playing every week for a side pushing for Europe. That should be a strong pitch. Everton lost Rooney, Barkley and Gordon too soon. They can’t afford to let it happen again.