When you think of any academy players who have come through at Everton and gone on to have an esteemed career, one name comes to the forefront.
Wayne Rooney's fledgling career skyrocketed wildly after the then 16-year-old attacker was substituted on versus Arsenal, audaciously catching out David Seaman in the Gunners net with an outrageous long-range strike back in 2002.
This would send him on a path to stardom with Manchester United, originally excelling as a youngster with the Toffees.
Everyone associated with Everton will have their fingers crossed that this current crop of academy talent could potentially reach similar heights to that of Rooney, especially with a number of players at Goodison Park at this moment in time seeing their careers wind down.
Seamus Coleman is an obvious name who is gradually nearing retirement, the Irish full-back everpresent with the Toffees since 2009. But, now at 35 years of age, Everton may be on the hunt for his long-term successor to fill his gap when he does call it a day.
Nathan Patterson has shown flashes of excellence in a Blues shirt at full-back, but in 18-year-old homegrown talent Roman Dixon, Everton could have a young ace up their sleeve who could take the top-flight by surprise.
Patterson's performances this season
Averaging a 6.75 rating this season, according to Sofascore, the former Rangers defender has been competent for Sean Dyche's men and has shown that he could well become a key first-teamer in the future.
Still only a baby-faced 22-year-old himself, the Scottish talent excelled when the Blues travelled to Sheffield United earlier this campaign in a stand-out personal display at Bramall Lane to show he belongs in the starting line-up under Dyche.
He was pivotal, clearing a shot off the line at one stage to ensure the Blues came away with a point in an entertaining 2-2 contest, which demonstrated his defensive awareness.
Patterson may continue to get better as time goes on and he is afforded more first-team football, as will teenage starlet Roman Dixon, who is standing out as a top performer in the youth set-up on Merseyside with a view to breaking into the senior ranks soon.
Why Roman Dixon is an exciting prospect
Branded as "excellent" in a recent Everton U21s clash versus arch-rivals Liverpool by Toffees correspondent Joe Thomas, with Dixon blocking a shot expertly, the 18-year-old gem is being tipped to have a bright future in the game and could develop to be Coleman's heir.
Signing a professional deal with the club in January last year, a "proud moment" for Dixon when speaking to Everton's official club website, he continues to go from strength to strength in his age bracket.
An impressive goal when Dixon was still developing in the U18s group showcases what the youngster is all about – daring in his ascents forward, springing an unexpected counter-attack all on his own before then slotting home with confidence.
It led to Dixon being bumped up to the U21s, an everpresent fixture for the Toffees in the Premier League 2 this campaign to date with the England U16 international yet to miss a single minute of football.
This forward-thinking and energetic approach from down the flanks will see him draw similarities with Seamus Coleman, the 35-year-old's raw pace as a youngster coming through allowed him to stick out alongside being able to pop up with a goal of his own from time to time -scoring 28 in total for the club.
Bold predictions for the future could hamper a youngster, adding heaps of pressure for the sake of it. But, if he continues at his current trajectory, Everton could well have Coleman's natural heir on their hands in the form of Dixon as he continues to progress through the ranks.
