Everton youngster, Alex Denny has agreed to a contract with the club, set to run until the summer of 2020. The 18-year-old has been talked around with high praises following his performances for the Toffees U23 side this past season.
Speaking to Everton TV, Denny said, “To sign my first contract with the club I have been at since I was nine is special for me. I am looking forward to continuing my development and getting as close to the first team as I can. That [his smooth transition from Under-18 to Under-23 football] is credit to the staff and all the other boys who have helped me. There are differences in terms of the intensity but with the help of the staff, and me getting on with it and throwing myself in at the deep end, I took to it well.”
The midfielder has been impressive this past season, making 9 appearances for David Unsworth’s U23 team. He started in the final five games of the 2017/18 campaign and even captained Unsworth’s side in the derby game against Liverpool in April. He also got his first taste of senior team football against Apollon Limassol in the UEFA Europa League.
Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands is working closely with the new manager, Marco Silva to improve the club’s talent pool. With ambitious plans of seeing the club compete for major honours in Europe, the Toffees will have to pay close attention to the players coming out of the club’s academy. Players like Rob Holgate, Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been immediate hits and is almost set to enjoy promising careers in the English top-flight.
Denny can easily follow into the shoes of the aforementioned names and someday carve out a role for himself in the Everton senior squad. He is packed with footballing talent and can appear from almost any position on the defensive end of the pitch.
The 18-year-old enjoys playing in the anchor position but has been seen to be effective from centre-back or from right-back as well. He does have wonderful guidance in Unsworth and assistant coaches, Francis Jeffers and John Ebbrell, a trio that has close to 700 appearances for Everton in between them.
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Denny believes that Everton’s remarkable record of producing such high-level talents played a part in his decision to sign with them. It is now to be seen what the future holds for the 18-year-old and whether he can be considered as a cog in Silva’s Everton lineup in the years to come.
