Everton academy graduate Isaac Price has returned to English football after 18 months in Belgium.

The 21-year-old rose through the Blues academy and was identified as a starlet by former manager Frank Lampard. But he left in the summer of 2023 after failing to agree a new deal, moving to Standard Liege in a bid to find regular first team football.

Now he is set to lead West Bromwich Albion in the club’s pursuit of promotion to the Premier League after moving to the Baggies for an undisclosed fee. Everton will not gain from the deal as he left at the end of his contract. While the club received compensation for his departure, a sell-on fee did not form part of the terms.

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Price was catapulted into prominence when Everton travelled to Australia during the 2022 World Cup break. The centre midfielder was man of the match in the draw with Celtic as he was asked to step up amid an injury crisis in the middle.

He was handed his Premier League debut the following January as a substitute in the home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion but lost momentum following Lampard’s departure that month and Everton’s descent into a chastening relegation battle.

Since moving to Liege he has emerged as a key player for the Northern Ireland national team, scoring six goals in 18 appearances - including a hat-trick against Bulgaria in October.

Upon signing a four-and-a-half year deal at the Hawthorns, where Tony Mowbray has just returned as manager, Price said: “I am over the moon to be here and I’m really excited to get started.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to show the manager what I can do and I think I’m going into it like all the other players are. Everyone will be trying to show him what they can do, even though the other lads have been here longer than me.”