Everton’s U21s are the talk of the town at the moment, having won the mini Merseyside derby in emphatic fashion.
Although not quite offering up the bragging rights that winning the senior clash commands, it will still be one for the youngsters to remember going forward in their careers.
Especially for star man Omari Benjamin, whose brace helped them on their way to victory.
However, he was not alone in starring, with Paul Tait, Everton’s U21s manager, singling out another.
Paul Tait praises Everton U21s after mini Merseyside derby win
Eager to ensure that Benjamin was not the only one earning adulation, the coach sought to praise the backline that kept Liverpool at bay.
Chief among them was Zan Luk-Leban, their young goalkeeper, who remained resolute throughout.
In fact, Tait even noted his surprise that Sean Dyche, the senior Everton manager, had not yet stolen him away.
He told Everton’s official website: ‘He is an excellent goalkeeper, we are lucky to have him. He is in and around supporting the first team so he has not gone out on loan. We are lucky to get him for the odd game, he is a fantastic lad and we all love him. He had a great game today, he made some really good saves.’
Who is Everton academy talent Zan-Luk Leban?
Although Leban might not be a household name, this young shot-stopper has actually been around the club for five years now.
Having joined in 2019 from his native Slovenia, he made his first appearance in the senior match-day squad under Carlo Ancelotti, but was an unused substitute on the day.
Instead, he has been a mainstay for the U21s, starring until he enjoyed a strong loan spell with Farsley Celtic just last season.
Now back and performing in the academy, Saturday marked the latest in a long line of fine performances that have caught the eye across his time on Merseyside.
He was praised again in 2021 for starring against a strong Manchester City youth side, as the Liverpool ECHO wrote: ‘The Slovenian youth international goalkeeper, who joined Everton from Polish club FCB Escola Varsovia in 2019, made more than five important saves to keep the scores level.
‘After a sensational double-stop denied City with 20 minutes remaining, it felt like the 18-year-old was not in the mood to be beaten – whether that be in normal time or during the lottery of penalties.’
Having attracted the interest of Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United as a youth player, the potential is clearly there.
Perhaps, should Jordan Pickford start to decline in the coming years, Leban could be his natural successor.
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