A new manager usually means a clean slate and a fresh start, and that is certainly good news for Leeds United loanee Jack Harrison under the stewardship of David Moyes at Everton.
On his emotional Goodison Park homecoming last weekend, David Moyes became the first Everton manager to beat Tottenham Hotspur at home in a Premier League since, well, David Moyes achieved the feat the first time around.
It was not so much a ‘new manager bounce’, but the return of a living legend catapulting Everton up into the atmosphere and performing a loop-de-loop around the moon.
A team who couldn’t score for Toffee, cruising into a 3-0 lead by half-time.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin turned from beanpole to Pele, jinking his way through the Tottenham backline before slotting home his first goal since September. Jesper Lindstrom, the highly-regarded but as-yet underwhelming Napoli loanee, produced his best performance in an Everton shirt.
So, with Calvert-Lewin revitalised and Lindstrom clearly benefitting from the greater freedom afforded to him post-Sean Dyche, Moyes’ focus will now turn to Jack Harrison. Specifically, salvaging what has been a ‘dreadful’ second season on Merseyside, and getting Harrison performing once again to the levels which caught Moyes’ eye during happier times at Leeds United for the goal-less, assist-less wideman.
David Moyes opens up on plan to revive Leeds United loanee Jack Harrison
“I always liked Jack when he was at Leeds United,” Moyes said during his Friday press conference. “I don’t think anybody would question his energy, his effort, or what he does.”
Jack Harrison’s work-rate certainly endeared him to Sean Dyche, while also making the one-time New York City FC attacker one of the first names on Marcelo Bielsa’s team sheet in West Yorkshire.
But what Harrison offers in terms of his running stats and his discipline, he lacks in the end product department. The 28-year-old is still awaiting his first goal and his first assist despite making 18 Premier League appearances this season.
Now, this is not to say Harrison cannot contribute effectively in the final third. Leeds’ outstanding first season back in the big time under Bielsa is proof of that.
Harrison scored eight goals and provided eight assists as Leeds secured a top-half finish in 2020/21. In fact, during his three Premier League seasons in a white shirt, Harrison contributed no fewer than 37 goal contributions in 100 starts from the wing.
David Moyes knows better than most what the one-time Liverpool prospect can do when confidence is coursing through his veins. Harrison scored a hat-trick as Leeds beat the Scot’s West Ham side 3-2 at the London Stadium back in 2022, after all.
Everton have decision to make as Harrison’s loan deal runs down
Moyes is now making it his mission to bring that version back to the Premier League stage.
“I think [Harrison has] probably lost some confidence and maybe a lack of belief,” Moyes says. “So we need to bring that back. That might take a little bit longer.”
Harrison’s second loan spell at Everton is due to expire at the end of the current campaign.
Whether he finds himself returning to West Yorkshire, or whether he is handed a permanent contract on Merseyside, is likely to depend largely on how successful David Moyes’ restoration job proves to be.
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