Everton's Young Core Beats Newcastle Without Grealish — SkimNews
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- Everton beat Newcastle in the fourth-round EFL Cup at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday to set up a quarter-final against League Two side Fleetwood, after Jack Grealish was dropped over what was understood to be an unauthorized absence from training.
- Hayden Hackney, the £16.5m summer signing from Middlesbrough, assisted James Garner’s opener and scored Everton’s second from close range against Newcastle; Moyes praised his attacking play but also noted he was caught on the ball at times.
- Thierno Barry has started every match this season and played 918 minutes as Everton’s only specialist centre-forward; he has scored seven goals, one behind last season despite 30 fewer matches, and featured in 15 of 24 big chances (62.5%).
- Everton have made 10 permanent signings since Moyes rejoined in January 2025, seven of them aged 24 or under, while the average age of their Premier League starting XI has fallen almost 18 months to 26 years and 216 days.
- Harrison Armstrong has started every Premier League match at 19 after Moyes considered sending him back to Preston last season before gradually integrating him into the first team; under-21s have logged 1,206 minutes this season.
- Tyrique George has made five starts this season, scored his first goal for Everton in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in September, and won back possession for the opening goal against Newcastle.
- Merlin Rohl, 24, was immediately restored to the starting XI against Chelsea after four injury absences and then preferred to the more experienced Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back against Arsenal and Newcastle.
Why it matters: Everton’s starting XI is now nearly 18 months younger, and under-21s have logged 1,206 minutes this season. The youth tilt is also partly forced by a threadbare squad: Barry starts every match because he is the only specialist centre-forward, leaving Moyes reliant on the new core.
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