Reports claiming that Everton could lose home-grown hero Harrison Armstrong are wide of the mark.

Scouser Armstrong, 18, who has been with the Blues since the age of five, has made half a dozen senior appearances for the club and signed off with a brace of assists to tee up Charly Alcaraz and Beto for their goals in the 2-0 win over Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup second round at Hill Dickinson Stadium on August 27 before completing a season-loan loan move to Preston North End on transfer deadline day, September 1. It is the second time this year that the West Derby prospect has been farmed out to a Championship side having earned rave reviews during his time at Derby County in the second half of last season, playing 15 games and scoring once to help the Rams avoid an instant return to League One.

Since moving to Preston, Armstrong has featured seven times so far, under Paul Heckingbottom and has started their last four matches, including the 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City at Deepdale on Tuesday when, with former Blues Lewis Dobbin and Thierry Small both coming off the substitutes bench, David Moyes...