In recent years, Everton have been successful in developing and investing in youth, with multiple players having an impact on the Toffees' first team.
The club have had to rely on youth at times this campaign, with the club's struggles with FFP and PSR rules making it difficult for the club to be active in the transfer market.
Jarrad Branthwaite has been the main beneficiary this campaign, with the 21-year-old excelling under Sean Dyche – subsequently being linked with a £75m move to Manchester United just four years after his £1m arrival at Goodison Park.
Other talents, such as Tom Davies and Ross Barkley came through Everton's academy before going on to make over 100 appearances for the Toffees, with the latter making the club £15m when he left to join Premier League rivals Chelsea.
However, a few years ago, there was a talent within the club's academy who had huge potential to become Seamus Coleman's heir. Despite this, eight years on from his debut for the Toffees, he's no longer at Goodison, and now playing second-tier football.
Jonjoe Kenny's stats for Everton
Right-back Jonjoe Kenny joined Everton at the age of nine, with the defender rapidly progressing through the ranks before signing his first professional deal back in 2014.
He was loaned out to Wigan Athletic and Oxford United in League One and League Two respectively during 2015 and 2016, before making his Premier League debut as a substitute in the 3-0 victory over Norwich City in May 2016.
However, he would have to wait until the 2017/18 campaign to make his first top-flight start, with Kenny starting in the 5-2 defeat against Arsenal after an injury to first-choice right-back Coleman.
He would go on to make 19 appearances in the Premier League that season, in a campaign which was his pinnacle in a Toffees shirt before dropping down the pecking order.
2021/22
15
2020/21
4
2018/19
10
2017/18
19
2016/17
1
He was subsequently loaned to Schalke in the Bundesliga for the 2019/20 season, where he received consistent first-team minutes but failed to do enough to earn a permanent move to Germany.
Kenny would again leave Goodison for consistent minutes, joining Scottish champions Celtic – where he only made 16 appearances over the course of the campaign.
The right-back rejected a new deal with the Toffees in 2022, leaving the club on a free transfer in order to fulfil his potential, with the youngster unable to secure a regular starting place in Everton's first-team.
Jonjoe Kenny's stats since leaving Everton
After leaving his boyhood club in 2022, he would return to Germany, this time signing for Hertha Berlin on a three-year deal. His first season saw him receive the consistent action he sought after, featuring for 2,242 minutes in the Bundesliga during the 2022/23 season.
However, his performances weren't enough to stop the club from dropping into Germany's second tier – with Hertha suffering their first relegation in over a decade.
Their relegation has seen Kenny find some form this campaign, with the former Everton defender chipping in with six goal contributions in his 21 league appearances.
However, it's sad to see the 27-year-old fall so far after his promising start to life at Everton, with the defender still yet to fulfil his potential since leaving the club.
With Kenny coming into his prime years, there's still time for the right-back to reach his potential, with the former England U21 international potentially being key in Hertha's push for an immediate return to Germany's top flight.