Everton advanced in the EFL Cup with a win over Newcastle after Hayden Hackney and several of the club’s younger players took centre stage. Their performance came shortly after Jack Grealish was left out of the squad because of what was understood to be an unauthorised absence from training.
Hackney, signed from Middlesbrough for £16.5m in the summer, assisted James Garner for the opening goal before scoring Everton’s second with a close-range volley. The 24-year-old had made only two starts before the Newcastle match, but showed the possession control and confidence that helped him win the Championship player of the year award last season.
David Moyes praised Hackney’s attacking contribution while also highlighting areas that still require improvement. The Everton manager said the midfielder was adapting to the Premier League after playing in the Championship and noted that he had occasionally been caught in possession.
Everton’s limited squad options have increased the importance of their younger players. Seven of the 10 players signed permanently since Moyes returned to the club in January 2025 are aged 24 or under, including France Under-21 forward Thierno Barry.
Barry is Everton’s only specialist centre-forward and has started every match this season, playing 918 minutes. He has scored seven goals, one fewer than his total from the previous campaign despite appearing in 30 fewer matches. Everton have created 24 big chances, with Barry involved in 15 of them.
The club’s average Premier League starting XI has become younger this season, falling by almost 18 months to 26 years and 216 days. Players aged 24 or under have also accounted for a greater share of the team’s league minutes than last season.
Teenager Harrison Armstrong, the youngest regular in Everton’s senior squad at 19, has started every Premier League match this season after previously spending time on loan at Preston. Tyler Dibling, 20, has also become more influential after initially finding it difficult following his £35m move from Southampton in 2025.
Tyrique George, another 20-year-old, has already made five league starts this season after making only one during his loan spell at Everton last season. He scored his first goal for the club in the September draw with Manchester United and helped create the opening goal against Newcastle by winning back possession.
Midfielder Merlin Rohl, 24, has also been trusted in an unfamiliar role at right-back. After returning from a four-match injury absence, he started against Chelsea and was preferred to the more experienced Ainsley Maitland-Niles for games against Arsenal and Newcastle.
Moyes still depends heavily on the experience of players such as James Tarkowski, Jordan Pickford and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. However, the cup victory showed that Everton’s younger members can make a decisive contribution when senior options are unavailable.
With Everton due to face Newcastle again in the Premier League, Grealish’s possible absence could provide another opportunity for the emerging players to demonstrate their growing influence.
Sources: BBC Sport Football.