Eyeing New Talent

Under-23 scout Jamie Hoyland talks us through the process of recruiting young players, potential first-team stars of the future

Meet Jamie Hoyland, the scout for Everton Under-23s.

A former midfielder with 400 league appearances to his name, Hoyland was brought on board earlier this season as part of the Club’s continued quest to identify and recruit the best talent around, blending it with products of the flourishing USM Finch Farm Academy - all with the ultimate aim of developing potential first-team stars.

Hoyland, 51, arrives with a vast amount of experience garnered from a 17-year playing career which included spells at Manchester City, Bury, Burnley and Sheffield United. In 1993, Jamie famously scored for the Blades in their FA Cup fifth-round victory over Manchester United.

Since retiring, Hoyland had a lengthy stint as a coach in the youth set-up at Preston North End and most recently as a scout for the Football Association and England national team.

In this exclusive interview, he talks us through his dayto-day duties, the skills required in his position and the process of attracting players into Everton’s Under-23s set-up...

IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL

“A lot of the time you get told about players, so you are at a particular game because of them and that’s your primary focus. But sometimes you will go out to a game blind, to a lot of Under-18s and Under-23s fixtures and see if anything stands out. If any players do, you will look to revisit it.

“This stage really comes early in the season when there is a new influx of players at different teams. Some have moved up to different age levels, others have been released and have joined different clubs.