Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill believes Everton teenager Braiden Graham should be allowed to develop without being fixed to a single role. The 18-year-old former Linfield attacker started his career as a central striker, a position that has been a long-standing problem area for his international side.
Graham has been included in O’Neill’s squad for the Uefa Nations League quadruple-header that begins away to Georgia on 25 September. The teenager has been an unused substitute in three fixtures for Everton this season, including Premier League games against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Even with Everton short of options at number nine, manager David Moyes said this month that he sees Graham as “probably someone who would play off the sides” in the Premier League.
O’Neill is comfortable with the forward being viewed as a versatile option. “I think the most important thing is not to try and pigeonhole him into a position,” O’Neill said. “He’s adaptable and he’s adaptable because he’s such a good player. I think at this minute in time his best option would be to play a little bit off the side, possibly as a 10, maybe around a bigger striker if you play a front-two, which not many teams do.
“What he has shown us in training, is a real high technical level and the ability to stick the ball in the net.”
This window is Graham’s second call-up to the senior Northern Ireland panel. He was previously included for June friendlies against Guinea and France. He was ready to come on against France, but the final whistle was blown before he could make his international debut. O’Neill felt Graham “deserved” a senior bow because of how he trained during that June window.
O’Neill also stressed that Graham’s physical development should be viewed patiently. The forward stands at 5ft 9in, and O’Neill said it was important to remember that “every player develops physically differently.” He added: “I’ve watched him a lot, we’ve watched Braiden since he was young, I’ve seen him from like 14 or 15.”
“Every player develops physically differently. It’s very difficult to play in the Premier League as a striker, look at the profile of what clubs want as their striker. But Braiden’s a very talented player, he’s a very technical player, a great finisher. He has a really good left foot, he’s smart in terms of how he plays.”