Everton have seen centre-forward Shayne Lavery put pen to paper on a new one-year contract at Goodison Park, as revealed on the club’s official website.
The 19-year-old striker – who hails from Northern Ireland – has signed a deal that will keep him at Merseyside until 2019, having starred for the club’s under 23s side after arriving from Glenavon in 2015.
?? | “It’s just a great Club to be at,” said Shayne Lavery as he signed a new one-year contract at Finch Farm.
Congratulations, Shayne!
? https://t.co/jhkMofErpA #EFC pic.twitter.com/qiBt7kNSJY
— Everton (@Everton) July 9, 2018
The young attacker was quoted by the club’s website as saying: “I’m so happy to have signed a new deal. It’s great being at Everton, it’s a massive club. I came over here when I was 16 and improved my all-round game.
“And training every day with someone like [Under-23s coach] Franny [Jeffers], who was such a good striker himself, helps a lot. He can help you with your movement, running in behind and your finishing – it’s great. All the coaches here have been excellent with me.”
OPINION
It is great to see a Premier League club such as Everton reward their youth prospects, as it can help boost their confidence and help them develop faster. Despite only netting three goals in Premier League Two last season, Lavery is an exciting prospect for the club, and provides the long-term solutions in Everton’s attacking department. It is obvious that he will not get near the first team just yet, but he can definitely grow into a more established striker through his time with the under 23s. Playing in a challenging environment like Everton can only improve his overall game, especially if there are other youngsters in his position who will be competing to start games. If he has a good 2018/2019 campaign with the under 23s, then it may cause Marco Silva to start taking notice of the youth teams, and the talent they can offer to the first team.