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Premier League: Everton boss Roberto Martinez praises striker Chris Long

Image: Chris Long: Praised by Roberto Martinez

Everton manager Roberto Martinez says young striker Chris Long has done his first-team chances no harm after the teenager scored in the club's 3-1 friendly defeat at SC Paderborn on Saturday.

The Finch Farm academy graduate was making his first start in pre-season after making two substitute appearances earlier this summer.

And Long certainly made an impression on Martinez after showing his class with a clinical angled strike to score Everton’s only goal of the game.

"The way Chris took his goal was fantastic," the Everton manager told the club's website.

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"The way he showed very clever movement off the ball, I think he showed he's a young man who's asking for a big opportunity in the first team.

"That was a really good positive that we'll take from the game."

Martinez believes that despite the defeat, the friendly will stand Everton in good stead for their Europa League campaign this season.

He said: "In terms of a trial for the Europa League, having the opportunity to experiment with a few things, I thought it served its purpose perfectly well so we don't get caught in the first away game of the Europa League.

"It's a scoreline that you wouldn't want to have, but now is the moment to have it."

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