Everton defender Thierry Small skips training amid exit attempts
Everton defender Thierry Small has been absent for the first week of pre-season training as he attempts to engineer a move away, according to The Athletic.
The left-back did not return for their July 5 return to training and was still absent on Monday, July 13.
The 16-year-old has been given a locker in the first-team changing room at Finch Farm and the Blues have prepared a “bumper” professional contract for him.
However, Small doesn’t feel that he has a chance of breaking into the Blues side with Lucas Digne firmly entrenched as the number one option, while Niels Nkounkou is also higher than him in the pecking order.
The Athletic claims Small recently cut ties with his agent and found a new representative, while the Blues still retain a desire to keep him on Merseyside and were in contact with the teenager on Monday.
Tough to come back
It appears that Small has set his stall out early and is determined to leave Everton this summer.
The fact that he has missed more than a week of training at such a crucial stage of pre-season is a bad look and it spells out bad news for any hopes harboured that he might sign a new deal still.
It’s a rather peculiar one given his youthful years.
There are not many, if any, 16-year-old’s up and down the country who will be demanding game time for a top-10 Premier League side, but Small obviously backs his abilities and wants to gain experience in senior football as soon as possible.
Small made his Everton debut against Sheffield Wednesday during an FA Cup clash in January, becoming the club’s youngest ever player in the process, but that could well end up being his sole appearance as a Blues player.
In other Everton news, this Blues star dropped a heavy hint on his future in a Monday evening video amid exit links.
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