Everton unlikely to offer contract to youngster who made club history
Abdulla Alhammadi was a surprise name on the teamsheet when Everton's Under-21s played at the club's new stadium
Everton are not expected to offer a permanent deal to the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at the club’s new stadium, the ECHO understands.
Abdulla Alhammadi took the gloves for the friendly with Bolton Wanderers B last weekend as the Blues’ Under-21s played in front of 25,000 supporters at the stunning waterfront venue.
It was the second of three test events scheduled for the 52,888-capacity arena and ended with a controlled evacuation after 67 minutes - a requirement of the steps needed to qualify for official safety approvals.
READ MORE: £100million talent, keep new stadium promise - David Moyes has four Everton objectivesREAD MORE: Six players could miss Liverpool vs Everton after double injury return and international concernsThe hosts had just taken the lead when the match was halted, Kingsford Boakye heading in from a Roman Dixon cross to break the deadlock. With the club’s U18s having lost 2-1 to Wigan Athletic U18s in February, the final whistle gave Alhammadi the honour of being the first goalkeeper to keep out the opposition at the state-of-the-art venue.
It was a big honour for the 19-year-old, a former player for United Arab Emirates Pro League side Al Wasl, who made a number of good stops during the game.
The teenager, who has previously captained UAE U18s, was on trial with the Blues and got his opportunity amid an international break in which injuries and national call-ups limited manager Paul Tait’s options.
George Pickford was injured, while other potential options like Zan-Luk Leban and Fraser Barnsley were with the youth set-ups of Slovenia and Northern Ireland respectively. Goodness Gospel-Eze was the only academy goalkeeper available to Tait and, at just 16, was given a spot on the bench.
Alhammadi shared images of himself in action in the test event on Sunday, posting them on Instagram along with the caption: “Grateful for every opportunity.”
On Friday, when Everton’s senior team resumed training, Leban was promoted to the first team sessions having returned from Slovenia’s U21s midweek defeat to Finland.