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Ellis Simms’s school football coach has revealed that he wasn’t surprised to see his former pupil score a first Premier League goal.

Tim Norman, Deputy Headteacher at Mills Hill Primary School in Chadderton, says that Simms’ achievement has become the talk of the staffroom.

He told the Liverpool ECHO: “When I saw him put the ball in the back of the net on Saturday night, it was a great moment. My first thought was that I was not surprised that he’s playing at that level. You can spot the special talents early on really.

“Ellis was always a very intelligent all-round player. You saw that with his move to put the ball away but also with his strength and picking his spot.

“That was the thing with him as a young player with us, he was always very calm in front of goal. Another aspect of his play though when he was playing for the school team was that he was always very unselfish in what he was doing and you see that in his performances now.”

While praising the young striker, Norman also revealed a hidden talent of the former pupil. He added: “He obviously had good players around him, but Ellis stood out in terms of his composure, his vision and ability. I also recall that he could do a throw-in that was the longest I’ve ever seen anyone throw a ball, it was like a corner whenever he took a throw!"

Mark Douglas for iNews believes Everton are ready to hand Abdoulaye Doucoure a new contract if he continues his resurgence in form.

Writing in a recent article, Douglas claimed: “i understand that Doucoure has consistently covered more ground than any of his teammates in Dyche’s short tenure, which is seen as further evidence of the culture shift being overseen by the former Burnley boss.

“Everton do have an option for another 12 months in their favour and i understands that the Toffees are increasingly likely to trigger that clause if they stay in the Premier League.”

On Wednesday evening, Muslims around the world will begin Ramadan, and Abdoulaye Doucoure has been speaking about the Islamic holy month.

"I always love Ramadan," the midfielder told BBC Sport. "Sometimes playing football has been hard because Ramadan has been in the summer and during pre-season.

"But I have always been lucky to practise Ramadan and there have never been problems with my physical condition - I am grateful for that.

"My religion is the most important thing in my life - I put my religion first, then comes my work. You can do both together and I am happy with that."

Everton’s trio of Doucoure, Amadou Onana, and Idrissa Gana Gueye form an all-Muslim midfield for the Blues, while goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also observes Ramadan.

On the relationship with his fellow midfielders in particular, Doucoure added: "We speak the same language so are very close and play together in the midfield, which brings us even closer.

"We always pray together and ask for space to pray. People are very welcoming and give us the space. Idrissa usually leads because he is older and has a good voice."