Former Everton youngster Isaac Price has now revealed why he turned down a new contract at the club earlier this summer.
The ‘Outstanding’ Price made the move to Belgian side Standard Liege at the end of last season, despite being offered renewed terms at Goodison Park.
Indeed, the 19-year-old has stated that Everton ‘didn’t want’ him to leave, but he believed that a move to Liege would allow him to take a ‘step forward’ in his fledgling career.
Reported via the Liverpool Echo, Price said: “Everton didn’t want me to leave. They wanted me to sign a new contract, but I was convinced of the idea of joining Les Rouches and taking a step forward for my career.”
He continued: “I’ve hardly ever played in the first team before, so I have to understand the game and adapt to it. I felt it was the right time to take a big step in my career.
“It is a big opportunity for me to play regularly and progress in a first-team environment. I came to the stadium last season, and when I saw the fans, I really wanted to be part of the club.”
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Isaac Price made three senior appearances for the Toffees but clearly relished the opportunity for further first-team football, which he may not have had at Goodison Park.
Everton’s precarious circumstances in recent seasons have limited the number of academy graduates making the step into the first-team, with more senior figures relied upon to sustain the club’s top-flight status.
At just 19-years-old, Price has already represented Northern Ireland at senior level, and could’ve been a player the Blues loaned out to develop, as with the likes of Stanley Mills who is on loan at Oxford United and Lewis Warrington now at Plymouth Argyle.
However, this feels like a missed opportunity by the Toffees as no doubt Price has bags of potential and will likely do well at Standard Liege.