Roberto Martinez once thought Everton had a rare talent, he’s now a forgotten man at Rangers

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Everton had high hopes for playmaker Kieran Dowell, but he couldn’t quite live up to Roberto Martinez’s billing.

Everton’s academy hasn’t quite been able to supply the first team with as many players as hoped in recent years.

Finding the next Wayne Rooney is an almost impossible task, but Everton need to see more young players breaking through.

Harrison Armstrong is impressing for Preston North End and could become a first-team star at Everton.

Others haven’t kicked on after loan moves away from Everton, with Kieran Dowell springing to mind.

Kieran Dowell was hailed as a rare prospect by Roberto Martinez

Dowell hails from Ormskirk and joined the Everton ranks at the age of just seven.

Roberto Martinez gave Dowell his first-team debut at the age of just 17, and there was real excitement around his potential.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo back in 2016, Martinez praised Dowell as a player you wouldn’t often find in English football.

Martinez hailed Dowell’s ‘wonderful left foot’ and suggested that his ‘technical ability is a natural gift’, believing that he could become a first-team player for Everton.

“He’s got a wonderful left foot, and you don’t get players like Kieran in the British game.

“He is a player that appreciates the space, enjoys being in between the lines, and his technical ability is a natural gift. That’s something that we need to use.

“We need to allow him to develop, but clearly he has got a role with the first team, without a doubt,” he added.

Dowell just couldn’t live up to that praise, though, as he managed just five first-team outings for Everton.

The playmaker headed on loan to Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Derby County and Wigan Athletic before being sold to Norwich City in 2020.

Dowell was supposed to emerge as Everton’s next great academy star, but he departed without ever really making a first-team impact.

Kieran Dowell now in the shadows at Rangers

Dowell impressed with 12 goals in 76 games for Norwich before walking away to join Rangers in 2023.

That move has not really worked out either, with Dowell spending the second half of last season on loan at Birmingham City.

Dowell is now back with Rangers, but he has played just six times this season and has not featured since August.

Rangers haven’t even registered Dowell for European action, so he wasn’t involved in their Europa League defeat at SK Brann on Thursday.

The 28-year-old needs to leave Rangers in 2026, and he will hopefully find a new home to settle down and play regular first-team action after a frustrating few years.