The Everton teenager is a very exciting prospect and 2018 could be his real breakthrough year.
As if planned by a Hollywood scriptwriter, Ademola Lookman’s Everton debut went perfectly, with the 19-year-old coming off the bench with just a minute remaining and still finding time to score against Manchester City.
That 4-0 victory appeared to mark a turning point for an Everton side that is looking very much on the up under manager Ronald Koeman. But unfortunately for Lookman, he has not yet added to that strike.
Having initially made a name for himself at Charlton Athletic, the attacker moved to Goodison Park in January and he has eight appearances for the Toffees under his belt to date.
But he has gone from regular started at The Valley to bit-part player at Goodison Park; no surprise when you consider his age, inexperience and the competition for places at Everton.
It was always going to take Lookman time to settle in the Premier League and expecting too much too soon would be foolish in the extreme.
That said, next season could see the teenager make his real breakthrough, featuring – and performing – regularly and building on that encouraging start against City.
Koeman has a full pre-season to work with the player, who will have used the last few months to acclimatise himself to life on Merseyside and process the fact he is now a top flight footballer.
Lookman is the real deal, and 2018 could see him explode onto the scene and stay there.
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