09/11/2024 11comments  |  Jump to last

Everton U21 winger Stanley Mills has been out of action for 11 months after he was stretchered off with a serious knee injury while on loan at Oxford United. 

Son of famous Manchester City, Leeds United and England defender, Danny Mills, Stanley joined Everton at the age of 14 having previously been at Leeds United.

Mills, who turned 21 last month, has impressed medics with his resilience and perseverance since the severity of the injury forced his early return to Everton, where the medical team have helped him recover and rebuild his fitness.

While he is still building up his strength, there is optimism that a return to action is in sight as he is now "back on the grass" and should be fit enough to go out on loan in the New Year. 

 

 

Reader Comments (11)

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Rob Hooton
1 Posted 09/11/2024 at 10:13:52
Good luck Stanley, I hope you regain full fitness and have a decent career ahead of you.
John Graham
2 Posted 09/11/2024 at 11:31:51
Shame about the injury, he was doing really well at Oxford and I'm sure he wasn't far off a first team squad place.

Let's hope the injury hasn't taken too much of his confidence away and he's back fighting for a shirt in the first team soon.

Good luck, Stanley.

Derek Knox
3 Posted 09/11/2024 at 13:15:09
I'd almost forgotten we still had Stanley Mills on our books, so long it has been since his prominent emergence as a potential quality player for the near future. Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

Assuming he does, will the Dychasaurus give him a chance?

Christy Ring
4 Posted 09/11/2024 at 14:06:56
Glad to see him back after horrific injury
Matt Byrne
5 Posted 09/11/2024 at 19:13:14
Would be good to see young lads given a chance.

When I was a kid, we had Stevens, Richardson, Ratcliffe and McMahon – all given that opportunity, plus likes of Sharp and Mountfield brought in with very little experience.

Edward Rogers
6 Posted 09/11/2024 at 19:47:28
Derek,

I think deep down you know the answer to that...

Paul Kernot
7 Posted 09/11/2024 at 20:54:02
I saw him play during the three pre-season games in Sydney ahead of last season and thought he was a great prospect to break into the 1st team.

Speed plus the ability to jink around defenders being a wingers stock in trade, it's hard to see him getting back to those levels after such a serious knee injury and this long out.

Justin Doone
8 Posted 09/11/2024 at 23:06:09
I hope I'm proved wrong and the sooner the better but... I type the same thing a couple of times a season regarding players with potential that have it taken away through injury.

Losing a season of development between the ages of 18 and 22, players never seem to be able to get that back, even if they make a full physical recovery. He'll probably take the rest of this season to get back the strength and courage to prove he can overcome it.

He'll need next season to try and prove he's back at the standard he was at before injury. He'll then be 24 or so and he'll find his options limited due to age and the nature of the industry and the next younger talent.

Too old to be a youth prospect and too raw to be given an opportunity in a Premier League team. I imagine a few loans to seek first-team football and maybe a low transfer fee so he can have a decent professional career at a lower level.

Hope I'm wrong and I wish him all the best.

Michael Kenrick
9 Posted 10/11/2024 at 09:12:40
Justin @8,

Spot-on; you captured and spelled out many of the vague thoughts I had about his lad — and seemingly countless other Academy players I have written similar news stories about on here over the years.

It has to be absolutely devastating at a personal level to sustain such an injury and then have to go through such a prolonged and — as you rightly point out – much extended recovery period. It destroys vital development and career-proving experience that you can never get back.

They say it only takes a second to score a goal (fat chance with our lot!) but it only takes a second to wrench your knee so horribly that — modern medical science notwithstanding — your highly promising future as a footballer lies in ruins.

Ian Jones
10 Posted 10/11/2024 at 21:34:16
Justin, whilst I can't argue with anything you say in your post @8, just a minor point about his age. I think he's only just turned 21 in October...

So, if he manages to get some play somewhere by the end of this season and then again goes out on loan next season 2025-26, by the start of the following season, if I do my maths correct, he'll still be 22 although turning 23 shortly after the season starts, so hopefully has a bit of time on his side.

If he's as good as some of the ToffeeWebbers say he is, he could be a welcome addition to the squad or group again. Of course, it depends on who is in charge of us by then and their mind set.

Peter Moore
12 Posted 11/11/2024 at 18:24:24
Unlike many of our former managers, Sean Dyche seems switched on to the benefits of not rushing injured players back.

If, when he is properly fit, the manager is of the belief he is able to improve the team and is ready for first-team Premier League football, I don't doubt he would get his chance, in the same way that Dyche gave Branthwaite his Premier League chance and other youngsters before, such as Dwight McNeil when a youngster at Burnley.

He also brought through another rather good fullback, Keiron Trippier. Hopefully young Mills will be as good as Trippier in men's top-level football. Good luck to the lad.


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