James Vaughan, the Premier League’s youngest goal scorer, has retired and is currently the sports director at Tranmere Rovers.
In April 2005, Vaughan earned his senior Everton debut when David Moyes decided to use him in the fourth quarter against Crystal Palace.
He scored in the 87th minute at the age of 16 years and 271 days, giving the Toffees a 4-0 victory.
He surpassed James Milner’s previous record and was set to become a pillar of Everton’s squad, much like another youthful star who made his debut a few years before.
They are distinct players, assistant manager Allan Irvine told reporters after the game, despite parallels to Wayne Rooney.
“Just getting on was fantastic for him, so scoring made it a perfect debut,”
“When there is no one else to put in, young players tend to get their opportunity.”
The next year, when representing England Under-18s internationally, Vaughan would end up suffering a severe knee injury.
It had an early influence on his growth, and he would later score nine goals in 60 appearances at Goodison Park, just eight of which were starts.
He spent time on loan with Derby County, Leicester City, and, strangely, Palace before signing a permanent contract with Norwich City in 2011.
In an effort to get Tranmere promoted from League Two, he scored 18 goals in 29 games, but they fell short of the play-offs.
In May 2021, Vaughan declared his retirement, although he wouldn’t stay away from the sport for very long.
He is working on his master’s in sporting directorship while working as the sporting director at Tranmere again at the age of 34.
After speaking with the Chairman and spending two years with the club, he said, “I am pleased to be able to be part of the initiative moving ahead.
As a player and teammate on the team that spent the previous six months preparing the present roster, Micky [Mellon] and I have always gotten along well.
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