'I believed him' - Sean Dyche reveals Jack Harrison fitness talks and verdict on Everton debut

Sean Dyche heaped praise on Jack Harrison after the winger’s impressive debut for Everton.

The Leeds United loanee started at Aston Villa, his first experience of a matchday squad at the club he joined in the summer.

The 26-year-old was excellent in his first senior appearance since a long term injury disrupted his summer.

His display on Wednesday night came after just one competitive match since his recovery - an outing for Everton’s Under-21s on Friday night.

Despite this his ably supported Dominic Calvert-Lewin and his teammates in the Carabao Cup win at Villa Park, operating with success both going forward and defensively.

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Delighted with Harrison’s debut, Dyche said: “I must say I think Jack Harrison has done fantastically well, he has only just had that game the other night with the development side and he said he felt fine, he said he was ready, and I believed him. He looked ready, he was training freely. But to come in and play at this level with hardly any return to real football is very, very pleasing for me as a manager and him as a player.

"He is still getting fitter and sharper but it is not easy to come into these games and adapt tactically to deliver a performance. I was very impressed with him and his general professionalism.”