WATCH: Everton still keeping tabs on George Hirst after having January bid turned down by Sheffield Wednesday

George Hirst made his first team debut for Sheffield Wednesday at Reading last season

The Merseyside club’s Head of Under 23 recruitment Jamie Hoyland, himself a former Sheffield United player, revealed that Everton had made a bid for Hirst in January which was dismissed outright by Wednesday.

However, speaking on Sheffield Live TV last night, Hoyland admitted that the Premier League side will continue to monitor Hirst’s progress and didn’t rule out another move for the striker.

George Hirst coming on for his first team debut at Reading gets instructions from Carlos Carvalhal

Hirst has just returned from international duty with England at the Toulon Tournament where he finished top goalscorer with four, a haul which took his tally for the season to 40 for club and country.

And Hoyland believes now is the time for the talented teenager to out and prove himself at a higher level than that in youth football.

“We were interested in him earlier on this season, I’ll admit it, we put a little bid in to Sheffield Wednesday (in January) but (they said) no way,” said Hoyland.

“Unfortunately for George, Wednesday have signed more and more centre forwards so it might be best to go and get some league football and develop in professional football, in the mens game.

“He’s done fantastic for England any time I’ve seen him.

“Forty goals, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, you’re scoring 40 goals, so now you’ve left that behind you, your youth football, go and prosper now and show people what you can do in the real game.”

On whether Everton will go back and make another bid for Hirst, Hoyland added: “We always maintain interest in good players. We are always looking, we are always monitoring. We are looking all over the place. George? We will see how it goes.”

Hirst made his Wednesday debut in the EFl Cup against Cambridge United at the beginning of last season before going on to make his league bow, coming on as a substitute against Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Hoyland, along with another former Blade David Unsworth, who is the coach of Everton’s under 23s, has already seen at close quarters the development of another young Sheffield talent in Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The 20 year old striker left Bramall Lane last year for Goodison Park and has since gone on to play in the Premier League and he scored the winning goal as England won the Under 20 World Cup in South Korea last weekend.

WATCH MORE

Alan Biggs’ Sheffield Live TV channel