Leon Osman has risen through the ranks at Everton and has made the progression into the first team squad.

The talented midfielder has been with the club for several years, has been named as an Everton substitute on two occasions, but has yet to make his first team debut.

A goalscoring midfielder, Osman grabbed a goal in Everton’s 10-2 victory over SC Weiz in the pre-season tour of Austria and also scored a 20-yard thunderbolt as Everton Reserves defeated Manchester United 1-0 in August.

Osman’s dreams of becoming a professional footballer were almost shattered in 2001 when he suffered a serious knee injury.

It kept him out of action for almost a year, but now the 21-year-old has full recovered to push his claims for a first team spot.

After an impressive start for Everton Reserves, netting in 1-0 victories over Manchester United and Manchester City, Leon was handed a one-month loan spell at Third Division Carlisle United to gain valuable first team experience.

Leon made his first team debut as a substitute in Everton's 4-3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on January 11th and hit the headlines when he scored the first hattrick of his career as Everton Reserves thrashed Manchster United 4-1.