Shayne Lavery 63

Unlike many of the Everton academy products who came to prominence in the Under-23s side around 2017 and 2018, Shayne Lavery was brought in from outside the club when he signed for the Blues in 2015 from  Portadown and Glenavon.  He completed a two-year scholarship and signed a professional contract for 1 year in July 2017.

He had been a regular with the Club's Under-18 side over those two years and was targeting progression by establishing a place in David Unsworth's Under-23s squad.

He said: "The pro contract is something I've always wanted, so it's a dream come true. As soon as I came here, it's all I've been working towards.

"From when I came over here for a trial at 16, Everton has turned out to be all that I hoped it would. It's a family club and a great place to be, especially with the pedigree of bringing through youth players. I'm going into my third year with the Club and I can't imagine being anywhere else.

"I had a hamstring injury at the end of last season so I will be in over the summer to work on my fitness. Now the aim is to stay fit, have a good pre-season and hopefully try to get a starting place in the Under-23s squad."

He would get some games at the next level as a sub and scored twice in his Under-23 appearances from the bench before getting a start against Leicester City in the Premier League Cup. His season was hampered, however, by a hamstring injury.

He was an unused sub for the Toffees in the final Europa League group game of the 2017-18 season against Apollon Limassol in Nicosia. That was followed in March 2018 with a first call-up to the Northern Ireland full international side, where he was on the subs bench as they beat South Korea. He would earn senior international honours as a late substitute against Panama in late May 2018.

Everton would extend his contract for another year in July 2018.

“I'm so happy to have signed a new deal,” he told evertonfc.com. “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. There's a lot I can still do to get better, though, and I want to keep developing. The training under Unsy is intense but enjoyable, too. It gets you fit and he is a very good coach.”

In January 2019, Shayne Lavery went out on loan to Falkirk in the Scottish Championship for the second half of the season but would make only half-a-dozen appearances from the bench.  His contract was up at the end of the season and he made a move back to Northern Ireland, joining Linfield.

Lavery, capped seven times by Northern Ireland, scored 47 goals in 77 games for Linfield after leaving Everton in 2019. He became the first player to be named both Ulster Footballer of the Year and Young Player of the Year while helping Linfield to the Irish League title in the 2020-21 season. On the strencgth of this, he secured a 2-year contract with Blackpool, newly-promoted to the Championship.

FactFile