Everton youngster has dream debut on loan

Someday many years in the future when Callum Connolly is old and retired, he’ll be sitting in front of a roaring fire warming his tootsies, and he’ll have family and friends huddled around him asking him about yesterday, January 14th 2017.

That was the day the right back was sent to Championship side Wigan Athletic on loan for the rest of the season, went straight into the starting eleven and started the game against Burton Albion.

As great as that was, the 19-year-old’s day was just beginning as apart from playing a key role in the Latics keeping a clean sheet and going in the referee’s notebook, he popped up with both goals in a 2-0 win that had the away fans chanting his name at the end of the game.

Here’s his day in a series of tweets -

Quite an eventful day one would say. Watch his goals here.

The Litherland-born lad has been with Everton since the age of 9, and has starred at different positions across the back line and in midfield for various Blues youth sides. He signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2015, and went on to have a productive season with David Unsworth's Under-21 side, when he scored seven goals.

Connolly then got some senior-level experience in a month-long loan at Barnsley in March 2016, before he made his Toffees senior team debut coming on a substitute in April 2016 at the right back position. against Southampton, then led by current Blues manager Ronald Koeman. The defender then signed a contract extension in July 2016 that will keep him at Goodison Park until the summer of 2019.

He has played in 25 games for various England youth teams, from the Under-17 to the Under-20 levels, scoring three goals. Connolly was part of the England squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship where they were eventually knocked out in the semi-finals.