Everton Take Exciting Youngster on Trial
How has it been training with a big Premier League club?
It’s going well, the training is new for him and quite intense, but he’s enjoying it. He was training at Finch Farm for two weeks initially and then they moved him to a development centre closer to us and he’s been there for three or four weeks now, training for two hours every Tuesday.
How has Oliver coped with the standard at Everton?
At the moment he’s training with other trialisits and they’ve had a cut back where they reduced the numbers by half, but he’s still there so that suggests he’s doing alright. He is a little lad so physically he’s a bit behind but technically he’s up there.
What have you and Oliver made of Everton since you’ve been there?
It’s a big club with incredible facilities and great coaching. For him, walking through those academy doors for the first time was a nice experience.
How did Oliver’s trial with Everton come about?
An Everton scout saw him at UK Football Trials first of all and I think passed his details on to someone at the club. Then a couple of weeks later we were at a tournament and another Everton scout picked him up as well and it went from there – we got the invite to go down to Finch Farm.
Is this his first time having a trial of this type?
Yeah he’s never done anything like this before, it all started with UK Football Trials. I saw the website and wondered if Oliver was at that level, so decided to being him along. But he loved it; it’s been a big step up for him and he’s really, really enjoyed it. The whole day was fantastic, I’d recommend it to everyone – it gave Oliver the exposure we were looking for.
Why do you think he hasn’t been scouted by anyone before now?
To be honest I think it’s been the wrong place and the wrong time. He’s always done well at clubs but the thing they’ve always said ‘he’s not better than what we’ve got now’, so he’s just not had that break yet.
What do you think are his best attributes?
He’s very technical. He loves to use his skills and has a great cross on him; his delivery from set plays is always good.
And what areas does he need to improve on?
Physically he needs to build himself up but that’s going to come with age.
How much football does Oliver play in a week?
He plays every single day – and night! We always have to drag him in, even when we’re on holiday he manages to find a ball somewhere. Our garden has actually been converted in to a small football pitch for him, we’ve got astro-turf instead of grass and he just spends his whole time out there practising.
Would you have any advice for players coming to our trials?
Give it everything and enjoy it. Don’t come away saying you could have done better. That’s all I told Oliver and I think he did that.
And what’s his next step from here?
Wait and see what Everton’s decision is, we’re hoping we’ll get something around the end of October. If it doesn’t work out we’ll bring him back to UK Football Trials for another go. Obviously we’re hoping they keep him on but I’ve made him aware it’s not the end of the road if they say no, this is his first ever trial and he’s still very young, so they will be other opportunities.