Harrison Armstrong captains England U19s to victory over Ukraine | OneFootball

Everton's highly-rated young midfielder, Harrison Armstrong, has added another impressive accolade to his burgeoning career, captaining the England U19 side to a 2-0 win in a friendly against Ukraine on Wednesday.

This leadership role on the international stage at Pinatar Arena in Murcia, Spain, will be an important milestone in the young player's career. Armstrong's mature performances and clear leadership qualities have been noted by England's youth setup, and his captaincy of the U19s is a testament to his growing influence.

The 18-year-old, currently on a season-long loan at Preston North End, led the Young Lions from the centre of the park as they secured a comfortable win. The result marks another significant milestone for the Kirkby-born talent, who has been a standout performer at both club and international level in recent seasons.

Despite Ukraine having an early goal ruled out for offside, it was England who took the lead in the 10th minute when Divine Mukasa struck the Young Lions ahead. They doubled their advantage just after the hour-mark, when substitute Shumaira Mheuka made it 2-0. Douglass Lukjanciks, Everton's promising young goalkeeper, was an unused sub on the bench.

Armstrong, who has progressed through the Everton academy since the age of 5, signed his first professional contract with the Blues in July 2024 and made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in the fixture at Tottenham the following month. After a successful loan spell at Derby County last season where he was nominated for the club's Young Player of the Season award, the central midfielder completed a temporary  move to Preston North End on Transfer Deadline Day to continue his development in the Championship.

While he is gaining valuable experience away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium, his continued recognition with the national team highlights the potential that many Evertonians believe he possesses. The victory over Ukraine, with Armstrong at the helm, serves as a strong signal that the future for both the player and the club is bright.

David Bromwell 3 Posted 04/09/2025 at 12:14:32

I don't really understand why he has gone to Preston, however, he looks a class act in the making and someone we should be aiming to keep long term. Hopping he will have a fine season with Preston and come back into our1st team squad for next season.

Dave Abrahams 4 Posted 04/09/2025 at 12:20:05

How much is the loan fee Preston are paying to get this lad for the season?

Alex Parr 5 Posted 04/09/2025 at 12:44:48

Seems a very level-headed young man. Wish him well at PNE and hopefully returns an even better player.

Kieran Kinsella 6 Posted 04/09/2025 at 18:29:09

Interesting Douglass Lukjanciks was on the bench.

Remember a summer or two ago, Man City were supposedly trying to get him for £10M or something?

Martin Farrington 7 Posted 04/09/2025 at 19:15:18

I reckon he was put out for the season because Gueye won't last much longer as a club player.

With Armstrong's development in mind there would be no need to step into the market.

Sam Hoare 8 Posted 05/09/2025 at 12:39:11

I think the priority has to be about turning Armstrong into the best player he can be and there is no doubt in my mind that his development will be better served by hopefully playing 2000+ minutes it the championship rather than a few hundred off the bench for us.

Ultimately he has to earn his place in our team; he does that by improving his game to a level matching or beyond James Garner or Merlin Rohl. It's very hard to make that improvement if you're not playing regular minutes and so ironically his best chance of playing for us is to leave us, temporarily at least. He has the opportunity to establish himself as one of the best midfielders in the Championship and if he can do that then he gives himself a shot of starting for Everton next season.