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One of the major criticisms thrown at David Moyes last season was his failure to trust young talent. Even as the wheels fell off across the run-in, Moyes stuck with his tried and tested, as a legless Everton limped across the finish line. It was a situation that created debate around the club’s direction. The limited use of Tyler Dibling, Adam Aznou and Tyrique George saw the trio all immediately labelled as ‘club signings’, thrust upon a manager who favoured experience by a board looking to create a sustainable business model. Moyes has cast his eye across the club’s young talent again throughout pre-season, with Aznou, Dibling, George, and Harrison Armstrong all showing encouraging signs. Armstrong and George were in from the start against Crystal Palace at the weekend, in what was Everton’s second-youngest starting XI since Moyes returned to the club. The former’s place in the side came as a result of injuries to James Garner and Christian Norgaard, but the 19-year-old did more than enough to merit more minutes next weekend. George, meanwhile, showed the sort of fearlessness in possession that often only youth brings. Neither are the finished article, but each demonstrated that Everton can find success by investing in the future. The introduction of Armstrong and debutant Hayden Hackney helped lower an average age previously inflated by Idrissa Gana Gueye’s presence in midfield, while Thierno Barry appears to have ousted Beto as first-choice forward to further lower the age profile. At 25 years and 308 days, only the Everton side that won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest last December has had a lower average age in Moyes’s second stint (25 years and 176 days). It’s perhaps no coincidence that both teams secured impressive energetic wins. Everton’s youthful selection also stood out across the Premier League. Across Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s games, only Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur lined up with younger XIs. There will inevitably be tests of Moyes’s faith in youth. Norgaard is expected to feature regularly upon his return from injury, while James Tarkowski’s appointment as captain and his start against Crystal Palace suggests Jake O’Brien still has work to do to displace the 33-year-old. Moyes may still lean on experience when the option is available, but the early evidence suggests Everton’s youngsters are beginning to make that decision more difficult for him. Armstrong and George did not look like players included to satisfy a recruitment strategy against Palace. They looked like players capable of improving Everton now. If they continue to prove that, Moyes might find that trusting in the club’s future gives him his best chance of succeeding in the present. Read more - Dewsbury-Hall hails teen star Armstrong as Everton’s new-look midfield excel Reader Comments (30) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () 1 Posted 24/08/2026 at 15:43:30 Changes will be made for the Preston game. Moyes should be bold and put Dibbling on the right, his pre-season form merits the chance. Furthermore, Johnson has loads of experience and could lead the attack. The young lad from Bayern should get his chance at left-back. 2 Posted 24/08/2026 at 16:00:09 The next week, Moyes dropped them. A leopard never changes his spots... 4 Posted 24/08/2026 at 17:35:39 But the way to success is to keep playing them whilst teaching them to cut out carelessness, I fear that these mistakes will be used by Moyesie to revert to type and drop them for the older players. Shame if that happens. Though I do feel that Norgaard is currently needed. 5 Posted 24/08/2026 at 17:35:52 This was the season to phase out Tarkowski and Moyes doesn't have the balls to do it. I'd rather we sold Tarkowski for nothing than get rid of O'Brien. 6 Posted 24/08/2026 at 17:36:29 7 Posted 24/08/2026 at 17:39:34 Whether that's a ploy to get Moyes to start playing him or not is another question, or if we need the money to fill the right-back position. Whatever it is, something is amiss behind the scenes. 8 Posted 24/08/2026 at 17:45:30 This is the road Everton are going down because they're not spending big money. I believe we have the youngest squad in the Premier League so Moyes has no choice. 9 Posted 24/08/2026 at 18:06:36 If you had been bothered to listen to the players themselves, they mention how certain training programs etc are used to bring the younger players on. Anyone would think that the manager doesn't want the younger players to succeed! Moyes has been a manager, been and done it with young players, he does not want to destroy their confidence by pitching them in at the wrong time. Remember how he mentioned Dibling had to improve in training last season? He has done and it shows on the pitch. Patience, gentlemen please. The youngsters like Dibling and Aznou will get their chance against Preston, I expect Johnson to get a spin too... 10 Posted 24/08/2026 at 18:24:15 "Moyes was wise not to introduce young players too soon, his patience and its benefits have been shown in pre-season and now on Saturday. He only plays players when they are ready." While there could be something in what you say, we'll never know, as last season none of the young players you're referring to were given a chance in the first 11 at the beginning of the season, or in the case of Armstrong and George, weren't even at the club. If Norgaard, Garner and Iroegbunam had been fully fit on Saturday, and Grealish still at the club, none of the young players would have been given a starting place this season either. Or are you suggesting, if Moyes had had all of those four experienced players available, some or all of them would have started on the bench against Palace, so he could demonstrate his patience and its benefits??? 11 Posted 24/08/2026 at 18:33:36 I think you may check again: "he only plays players when they're ready" -- utter nonsense. The only reason he played Armstrong and Hackney in pre-season and on Saturday is because Garner, Norgaard and Iroegbunam were injured, and he even whinged about that in his interview after the game. If he sells O'Brien, and depends on Tarkowski and Keane, he's definitely lost the plot. 12 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:05:33 If not, I'm sure everyone would remember that Rooney, Yobo, Hibbert, Osman, Jeffers, McFadden, Vaughan, Anichebe, Rodwell, Baines, Fellaini, Baxter, Gosling, Coleman, Barkley, Stones, Lukaku were all teenagers or early twenties under Moyes and had their opportunity first time around. 13 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:11:01 14 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:11:57 Where has Moyes “been and done it” with the younger players? 15 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:20:49 16 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:33:14 "Rooney, Yobo, Hibbert, Osman, Jeffers, McFadden, Vaughan, Anichebe, Rodwell, Baines, Fellaini, Baxter, Gosling, Coleman, Barkley, Stones, Lukaku". Quite a list. Unfortunately, none of Hibbert, Jeffers, Stones or Lukaku debuted for Everton under Moyes, and the last two never played for him as he'd gone to Man Utd. While Yobo, Osman, Baines, Fellaini, McFadden and Coleman were all 20 to 22 years old when Moyes gave them their league debut. Of the under-20s whose debut Moyes can take credit for, only the exceptional Rooney went on to have a great career. 18 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:42:48 Moyes will make changes on Wednesday, no doubt, and if we get knocked out, whoever started the game won't start another this season. As ever, injuries force his hand, that's who he is: Mr Reactive. 19 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:43:08 You can't just make it up as you go along. Moyes doesn't trust young players. Full stop. 20 Posted 24/08/2026 at 19:56:46 Rooney, Rodwell, Vaughan, Anichebe were all either easily at that level or close enough, but Bidwell, Vellios, Baxter, Forshaw... Fellaini (20) was signed and played by Moyes; Coleman (20) was signed by Moyes; Gosling (18) scored against Moyes; Hibbert (21); now Armstrong, Dibling, George, Aznou... Unfortunately it's almost always proven that teams who use older players win more games. Moyes seems to have become more aware and accustomed to this as times gone on. We as fans always want to see younger lads come through but the fact is, over the course of 90 minutes, players like Townsend, Walcott, McNeil (all of course have left) tend to do more in terms of stats than the likes of Dibling or George. 21 Posted 24/08/2026 at 20:07:49 He said if there weren't injuries, he wouldn't have selected Armstrong. That's likely true of Hackney as well. Remember the Villa display last year. Played youth because he had no choice. That midfield then disappeared. 22 Posted 24/08/2026 at 20:14:27 I don't think that I have ever read a more factually incorrect post than this one. The lengths some will go to try and embellish Moyes... 23 Posted 24/08/2026 at 20:23:03 Last season's average first eleven ages for wins, draws and losses doesn't support your "older is more successful" argument. Wins 13 27.0 years Draws 10 27.7 years Losses 15 28.0 years 24 Posted 24/08/2026 at 20:55:21 25 Posted 24/08/2026 at 22:59:55 Of the others Hibbert had maybe 10 appearances when Moyes arrived, although I never claimed he gave them all a debut, and whilst Stones didn't start under Moyes it was Moyes who brought him to the club. 26 Posted 24/08/2026 at 23:18:31 Check on Stones. Moyes didn't want to bring him to the club and never played him before he left for Man Utd. 27 Posted 24/08/2026 at 23:47:43 28 Posted 24/08/2026 at 00:12:53 29 Posted 25/08/2026 at 01:49:32 30 Posted 25/08/2026 at 02:33:03 31 Posted 25/08/2026 at 02:44:02 32 Posted 25/08/2026 at 03:16:50 You know, for a guy with that kind of wealth, you would have expected him to lay out a bit more than $140. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. 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