Francis Okoronkwo could be a name that becomes familiar to Everton supporters over the coming season.
The teenager may be set for a breakthrough year after earning a boost by being selected by Sean Dyche for the club’s pre-season training camp in France. The talented forward is one of the youngest players to have been included in the 28-man squad.
He could follow the likes of Lewis Warrington and Stanley Mills, whose names shot to prominence after they were taken to the US by Frank Lampard last summer. Both players caught the eye of the Blues boss and went on to be heavily involved in the pre-season schedule even after the return from the States.
The pathway appears to be there for Okoronkwo to take on significant responsibility within Everton's Under-21s over the coming season - an opportunity that could also see him involved in first team training under Dyche.
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Signed from Sunderland in a £1m deal two years ago, Okoronkwo is highly thought of at Finch Farm and started last year learning from his senior striker Cannon. When Cannon, who led the frontline so impressively for Paul Tait’s Under-21s, took the opportunity to play in the Championship with Preston North End, it provided Okoronkwo with the chance to step up.
Just before then the pair each offered a tantalising showcase of their talent by teaming up at Lincoln City in the last 16 of the Papa John’s Trophy. It was a game Everton U21s would go on to lose but Okoronkwo’s introduction at half-time changed the game. Trailing 2-0 at the break, within the first 10 minutes of the second half the Blues were level as Okoronkwo and Cannon took turns to set each other up.
After that match, Tait said of Okoronkwo: "We really like Frankie, he's got real potential. He's got lots to do - he's not the finished article. He's got real physical attributes but he is also really technical so he can handle the ball and he's a number nine, a really good number nine, he can run behind, he can link into feet. There are still bits he needs to do better at, which he is working on, but he's working hard so he's got a chance at getting better at those things.”
The 18-year-old went on to score four times and get two assists in the Premier League 2 competition and is set for an interesting 12 months. With Cannon expected to seek senior football - either with Everton’s first team or out on loan again, this could be the season Okoronkwo gets the space to flourish under additional responsibility.
Speaking after Cannon’s loan move in January, he was open about his ambitions. He said: “My ambition now is to be that focal point for the Under-21s, be the No.9 that all the players can rely on. I want to play more minutes, score more, keep adding assists and hopefully towards the end of the season, have a few sessions with the first team to get a taste for what that’s like in the coming years.
“You can see there’s a pathway to the senior squad. If you look at the lads who’ve been in and around it this season, they have all been really consistent and worked hard to do all they can to be professional footballers and play in the first team. To me, that shows when you put that work in, you will get your rewards, you just need to stay consistent with it and keep chipping away.”
