Everton could potentially unearth their next Leighton Baines at Goodison Park in the future, as 16-year-old left-back Ishe Samuels-Smith continues to knock on the first-team door.

The teenage defender, who has represented England at various youth levels, has been spotted training with Frank Lampard's first team recently and is surely pushing for his first senior appearance as a Toffees player.

He has also attracted interest from Chelsea in the past and is regarded as one of the best players in his age group, having already made 22 appearances for the under-18s.

Samuels-Smith is described by Everton's official website as providing a strong combination of diligent defending with the ability to make marauding runs forward and create chances in the final third.

This ability in attack could stand him in the same stead as Baines, who enjoyed a superb career at Goodison Park, contributing 39 goals and 67 assists in 420 appearances for the Toffees.

The 37-year-old also earned 30 England caps during his career and gained a first-class reputation for crossing and set-piece ability during an impressive career on Merseyside.

He now works as an academy coach at the club and will no doubt be keeping a keen eye on Samuels-Smith's future; and if the 16-year-old can get to anywhere near Baines' level, then he will surely become a fan favourite at Goodison Park.

Vitaly Mykolenko is the main left-back option in Lampard's squad right now, with Lucas Digne having departed the club last January.

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While the Ukrainian is a solid option defensively, he doesn't offer anywhere near the attacking quality that Baines showed during his time at the club, with no assists to his name in 22 appearances so far since coming to Merseyside earlier this year.

While it would be difficult for any left-back to match Baines' numbers, the fact that Samuels-Smith is training with the first team at such a young age suggests that he is rated very highly at the club. With the right coaching, he could just emulate Baines' legacy at Goodison Park.