Everton boss David Moyes gave Wayne Rooney his debut as a 16-year-old
Everton have paid a reported fee of £2m to sign 15-year-old midfielder George Green from Bradford City.
The Toffees are believed to have beaten a number of clubs to Green’s signing, including Premier League rivals Tottenham and Germany’s Bayern Munich.
Green will become a full-time part of Everton’s youth setup next summer.
“He has got good potential but at the moment that’s all it is,” said the club’s academy director Alan Irvine. “He has got a lot of work to do.”
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- Michael Woods & Tom Taiwo, Leeds to Chelsea, £5m, both aged 16, 2007
- Jermaine Pennant, Notts County to Arsenal, £2m, aged 15, 1999
- John Bostock, Crystal Palace to Tottenham, £2m, aged 16, 2008
- Dean Parrett, QPR to Tottenham, £2m, aged 15, 2007
- John Cofie, Burnley to Manchester United, £1m, aged 14, 2009
- Scott Sinclair, Bristol Rovers to Chelsea, £1m, aged 16, 2005
Irvine added: “George is a young player who was attracting interest from a number of clubs. We’re happy to have him and we’re looking forward to working with him here at the Academy.”
Bradford-based newspaper the Telegraph & Argus report that Everton will pay Bradford an initial fee of £300,000 with the deal structured to include further bonuses for appearances, new contracts, potential international appearances and a bumper sell-on clause from any future transfer fee.
City’s head of football development Archie Christie was quoted in the paper saying: “This is one of the highest deals ever for a 15-year-old from a League Two club. But George is the best I’ve seen in his position at his age. He could become another Wayne Rooney or Paul Gascoigne.”
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