Wayne Rooney couldn’t have imagined that at age 21, Everton would already have another player breaking his records.

The Toffees may have thought lightning struck twice when John-Paul Kissock first emerged through the youth ranks.

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In 2006, soon after Rooney wrapped up his second season at Manchester United, his childhood team seemed to uncover another prodigy following in the footsteps of the former England captain.

A young 16-year-old Kissock gained attention when he broke Rooney’s record by becoming the youngest player to feature in Everton’s reserve team.

The two Scousers both grew up in Everton-mad families before joining the Toffees at a young age.

Kissock made such rapid progress that he appeared for the England Under-16s team at just 14 and was with the Under-18s two years later.

“I am quite a shy person, so I didn’t like the limelight,” he told PlanetFootball in 2021 on the media attention he was receiving.

“It was quite overwhelming for me back then, unlike some close friends who were also making a name for themselves, like Jose Baxter, who welcomed the attention,” he noted.

Kissock looked to be on the cusp of a senior breakthrough when he found himself around the first-team squad under David Moyes.

The midfielder enjoyed a handful of appearances in pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.

At age 18, Kissock was an unused substitute in the opening four games of the campaign but was never handed his competitive senior debut.

Decades later, the now 35-year-old believes his style of play put him out of favour with Moyes’ defensive tactics at Goodison Park.

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David Moyes’ style of play at Everton

“Moyes, in my opinion, is a remarkable manager, especially defensively,” he elaborated. “He values strong defense, which wasn’t ideal for me due to my playing style.”

“Moyes focused on a defense-first approach, whereas I wanted to receive the ball from the back four, initiate runs, and create plays, which Neil and Gary allowed me to do.”

“He didn’t like that. I found his way a bit more difficult, and I think he became frustrated with me.”

Everton reached the FA Cup final at the end of the 2008/09 season, but suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Kissock, who had been on the bench in the opening rounds, knew the writing was on the wall after he was left out of the Wembley squad.

He has since admitted he wanted to quit football completely after Moyes broke the news that he didn’t have a future at Goodison Park.

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“I was devastated to leave Everton,” Kissock told the Liverpool Echo. “I have supported them all my life and will always love the club.

“I wasn’t Moyes’ type of player. He doesn’t have many flamboyant players in his side.

“Nevertheless, you can’t diminish what he accomplished at Everton, and I wish him all the success. Although I sat on the bench frequently, there were moments when I thought I might get a chance to play.”

“However, it never happened and I was gutted to leave. Moyes took me into his office to deliver the news and it was a horrible day, one of the worst experiences of my life.

“When he told me it was terrible. There were uncontrollable tears. I broke down in the dressing room even though I was determined not to.

“I had been at the club for 12 years and it was hard to tell the family, especially my dad. He’s a mad blue and it was a shock.

“Everyone thought I deserved a chance. The most galling thing is not to have played a single game, that’s what I wanted to achieve.

“I didn’t want to play football after that. I just wanted to quit.”

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Kissock’s post-Everton career

After leaving Everton, Kissock enjoyed a four-month stint in the Scottish League for Hamilton Academical.

But he was released at the start of December 2009 and began working for a taxi hire firm.

He resurfaced at Newton of the West Cheshire League after being encouraged by family and friends to give football another crack.

Kissock also turned out for another local side, Formby, before turning out for National League clubs including Southport, Luton Town, Ebbsfleet United and Whitehawk.

In January 2019, the player affectionally known as the ‘Non League Messi’ by Hatters fans made the last move of his career.

He rejoined Whitehawk as a player-assistant manager, but after the pandemic, found work instead with his brother’s property business.

Kissock, who remains an Everton fan, added to PlanetFootball: “I have never been a bitter person, and I had some great experiences.

“It never happened for me at Everton, but I don’t have a bad word to say about anyone there.”