Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom expects Harrison Armstrong to return to the club.
Everton had recalled the teenager from his loan spell in light of the several injuries and absences plaguing the squad. Armstrong played every single match since returning to Merseyside and impressed hugely against Wolves, Sunderland and Aston Villa.
He played the full 120 minutes against Sunderland in the FA Cup where he was one of the Toffees’ standout players, before playing another full 90 in the excellent 1-0 win at Villa Park.
He has attracted praise from his teammates as well as manager David Moyes. “It was a big game for Harrison. He stepped up and he’s doing well for such a young player,” said the Everton boss after their latest Premier League win.
However, with Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye returning from AFCON as well as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall inching closer to a return, Armstrong could end up returning to Preston to play out the remainder of the season on loan in the Championship.
Asked about Armstrong after the 3-0 defeat to Hull City, “Yeah, at the minute, as it stands, we’re all expecting him to come back,” said Heckingbottom.
“Yeah, but that can change, do you know what I mean?,” said Heckingbottom. “As it stands at the minute, yeah, the plan was for him to come and get good experience, a lot of game time.
“He’s done himself no harm playing there; I’m watching him play and how well he’s doing. But that’s not a surprise to David (Moyes) and the people at Everton. They know what they’ve got, but they’re also aware that unless David’s going to be using him, he’ll probably come here and get all his game time with us.”
While competition for a spot in the XI is expected to be stronger with the return of the players currently out injured, Armstrong has shown enough intelligence, composure and awareness to stand out and get enough minutes in the second half of the season.
At the very least, he’s a great option to be called on from the bench for regular minutes and provides depth to a squad that has been frequently hampered by injuries.
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Posted
21/01/2026 at
15:20:23
Even with the Ndiaye, Gana, and Dewsbury-Hall coming back, can we afford to let him go back?
Losing Grealish makes a much more compelling case for keeping him here. The flip side is that he doesn’t get as much playing time.
Glad I don’t have to make these decisions.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
16:21:01
A loan move is supposedly to gain experience but, given that relegation this season is extremely unlikely, then what better experience could he get than staying and playing with us?
Sending him out on loan merely confirms Moyes’s distrust of youngsters regardless of ability. Experience at the highest level must surely make more sense.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
16:21:42
Moyes love of all things Preston suggests he’s very keen for him to go back there.
As things stand, we are a squad challenged by injuries. Unless we add to the squad, which seems unlikely, then we need him.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
17:04:27
With the Jack Grealish news, no, he’s got to stay at Everton.
Preston’s problems are theirs. Everton are blighted by injuries every season, and no doubt more will happen.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
17:56:26
This is a windup.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
19:16:53
Behave, Dale.
It’s been on the cards but no one knows what Moyes will do.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
19:48:31
Plenty said he wouldn’t get a minute off Moyes.
That aged well…
Posted
21/01/2026 at
20:07:10
He only came back because we were down to the bare bones and Moyes had done nothing to get the other players he had ready to play in the Premier League.
There’s no way he would have played if the other players had stayed free from injury.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
20:15:10
Ian (7),
With Dewsbury-Hall, Gana Gueye, Ndiaye, missing along with the unknown injuries to Tim Iroegbunam and Charly Alcaraz, it would have been strange if Armstrong never got much game time.
He did very well and who knows when Tim and Charly are coming back? Who knows what injuries they’ve got or when they will play again? So I hope Armstrong stays and gets his experience here with us.
Then again, Moyes might surprise us and bring a couple of players in and transfer a couple out — who knows what’s going on? If Moyes knows, he’s keeping it to himself.
Tim and Charly have missed quite a few games with nothing about Charly’s injury and Tim had a slight twinge three weeks ago but no more information since.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
20:32:28
Michael #8,
I agree with you that Moyes only brought him back because he had no one else, and that’s why he played him.
But surely how well he performed means especially that Tim and Charly can’t be ahead of him in the pecking order?
Posted
21/01/2026 at
20:50:48
I’m not sure how well it will go down if he goes back to Preston now, though.
Posted
21/01/2026 at
21:14:02
Christy,
I agree with you on that. Whatever preconceived ideas Moyes may have about playing youth, it isn’t as if Alcaraz when fit has exactly been playing well. Rohl, who is “more experienced”, had his first half-decent game of the season against Villa.
Grealish injured, Dewsbury-Hall injured, Garner still seeming to be the preferred option at right-back for certain opponents. It doesn’t leave us with much and, if you look at performance level not birth certificates, surely Armstrong ranks ahead of Rohl, Alcaraz and McNeil currently?
Posted
21/01/2026 at
21:34:44
As there’s no news on Iroegbunam, Alcaraz or Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish out for 3(?) months.
Rohl is a bit of a sick note and Gana’s no spring chicken either. So Armstrong must stay. He did well in the Championship — which is not a mugs / ‘farmers’ League.
My call is he stays and learns by ‘doing’…and he’s been ‘doing’ okay! But hey, it’s Moyes… and we are after all, Everton — so who knows.
Also; If I were to put on my hard headed, pragmatic, nay, ruthless (Yankee?) business head on, while we still have a ‘window’ of opportunity. I’d be looking to cancel Grealish’s loan, save money, throw the ball back in City’s court and tell them… your guy’s broken, it’s up to you to fix him, not us, we’ll take a look again in June — maybe.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
02:31:11
It has to hinge on the prognosis for a few of the currently injured.
Armstrong staying and Grealish not being replaced would probably satisfy most.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
02:41:51
“Also; If I were to put on my hard headed, pragmatic, nay, ruthless (Yankee?) business head on, while we still have a ‘window’ of opportunity, I’d be looking to cancel Grealish’s loan, save money, throw the ball back in Citie’s court and tell them… your guy’s broken, it’s up to you to fix him, not us, we’ll take a look again in June — maybe.”
That will most likely lose us any ‘preferred bidder’ brownie points we may have / could gain by making things easy for Man City
.
A stance I would only take if we don’t retain any interest in signing the player or are sure nobody else will be interested in him in the summer.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
03:39:22
Si @ 15; Pep said he slows their game down…and he slows ours down too* and it wasn’t the fastest to begin with.
*True, he does bring a few benefits to us as well – but at the price and terms City seem to want hes not value for our more modest purse.
And that’s all before you factor in what Grealish and / or his agent expect in wages.
He says he can play in the middle, so play him in the middle were keeping and using the ball…which he can do…matters less than absolute pace – but only if the price is right.
City want him gone and his wages off the books, they’ll also want as much in cash back for him as they can con out of a suitor…of which there didn’t seem to be that many, rather like Dibling and that chap from Iceland whose name we can’t mention and I can’t spell now)
We’ve done the try before you buy bit and it was OKish, fate and the window has given us a nice little Brucie Bonus option to stick or twist.
We need to use it or City will use us, like Levy used Kenwright…and those days should be consigned to the dustbin of history.
No more Mr Nice Guy…nothing personal Jack, Pep, just business, I wouldn’t of thought that was a foreign concept to TFG.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
05:02:48
I thought this thread was about Harrison Armstrong, not Jack Grealish. Totally different styles of player… Surely, the closest to Jack’s type is Tyler Dibling?
Some on TW have said it would be best to send Harrison Armstrong back to Preston for the rest of the season, which is a reasonable thought providing the other midfielders are all fit. They may be right on their stated grounds that he might get sufficient playing time ahead of the others.
Personally, I would like us to keep him and have him play to keep his position, if he is indeed worthy of this (which I think he is). We have to think of Everton — not of Preston!
Posted
22/01/2026 at
06:42:46
The Grealish diversion… sounds like a Jason Bourne novel… erm, Injury, IMO obviously, makes the case for keeping Armstrong stronger.
He’s out for 3 months, if we can do without him for 3 months, we can do without him for 4 months… and that’s basically season over.
I know he’s not a like-for-like replacement — who is?
Certainly not Dibling.
Keep Armstrong — cancel Grealish’s loan and try to get Aznou more minutes, he did more in 35 minutes than Dibling has all season.
If Ndiaye is up to it, he starts; if not, McNeil with maybe Aznou or Ndiaye off the bench.
A midfield from: McNeil, Ndiaye, Gana, Garner, Armstrong, Rohl, Aznou… trailing the field — Dibling. Pulled up lame: Iroegbunam, Alcaraz, Dewsbury-Hall.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
06:58:25
Derek 16
Sigurdson was a decent buy and a good player for
Posted
22/01/2026 at
07:47:12
When all the injuries, Grealish apart, are back fit, Armstrong will be on the bench. On a bench that will see him get 10 minutes now and then given the manager’s lack of early substitutions.
Imo, he will develop into a top player, the next step is important. Where does he carry on his obvious improvement as a player? On the pitch or on the bench?
Posted
22/01/2026 at
09:18:18
Dave, you and I both read on these pages, that Moyes wouldn’t play him. He had a good cameo vs Brentford, and played every minute since.
I’ve been impressed. I’d like him stay, sign a right winger, and send Dibling out on loan if there’s anyone to go out.
Leon Bailey, a cut-price bid for Harry Wilson… there’s a couple out there that could free up a move to loan Dibling or sell McNeil.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
09:31:16
Harry Wilson, Ian.
Wrexham born, I believe, a good player.
He is the one we should go all out for imo.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
12:30:42
Harry Wilson certainly knows where the net is.
Whose place would he take in the current squad?
Posted
22/01/2026 at
12:45:48
I think Wilson is off to the Palace.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
13:35:05
Moyes will do what is right for the player and the club.
Posted
22/01/2026 at
15:12:47
Wilson walks in our team.
I’d love him, I’d take him everyday, can’t see him going Palace with all their turmoil now.
On a Free at end of season too.
Give them a little fee 8- 10m to get him this window.
Posted
23/01/2026 at
06:44:18
If, Dewsbury-Hall is close to coming back, then I think Moyes would be right to send Armstrong back to Preston on loan. My logic is that, even if we don’t know whenTim Iroegbunam would be coming back, in midfield we would have: Garner, Gueye, Dewsbury-Hall and Merlin Rohl as options for the 2 midfield slots that Moyes likes to play. It would be amazing for Armstrong to get as many playing minutes as possible in what is going to be a very competitive final half of the season in the Championship, and Everton would only benefit long term from Armstrong honing his skills in such a competitive environment. I think we can all agree that Armstrong is going to be our long term midfield mainstay. (knocking on wood)
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