Everton have signed Barnsley starlet Mason Holgate for an undisclosed fee.
Holgate is Everton’s fourth signing of the summer, with Tom Cleverley, Gerard Deulofeu and David Henen the other new recruits.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the game at Southampton, Martinez spoke in glowing terms about Holgate and likened him to fellow Barnsley youth graduate John Stones.
“Mason, at 18, has already played 20 games in League One and that shows the potential he has,” he said.
“He will be a phenomenal young prospect coming into that golden generation we feel we have at the club and he will be a good one for the future.
“Mason is a completely different type of player to John but in terms of personality and character they are very similar.”
Martinez also said that Holgate is not a replacement for John Stones and reiterated that his star centre-back is not for sale.
The Everton boss also stated that he wants to bring three more players to the club, with centre-back, no.10 and centre-forward being the areas he wishes to strengthen.
Everton face a tough trip to St Mary’s stadium on Saturday but have been boosted by the news that Gerard Deulofeu and Muhamed Besic have returned to training, while Kevin Mirallas is also set to be fit.
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