Technically he looks very good most things stuck that went up to him and he was always looking for the clever link up or layoff. So that will always be a massive skill to have I think at any level of the game. Not having pace maybe has helped him develop those technical skills. A bit more pace is never a burden though
Brighton under 23s currently leading Liverpool under 23s 2-1. Ferguson with both goals. Still only 16, in fact he doesn't turn 17 for another 6 months.
Evan’s goals here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E-y3xpI2FAM
You can also appreciate the gulf in standard between senior first team football and under 23’s. One season is more than adequate at this level. Then it’s time to move on
He's literally a child. A second year at U23 level absolutely wouldn't be the ruination of him.
The ball is round and has many surprises.
I hope he doesn’t get too much bigger. How many giants to you see playing top level football ? Don’t we have a young centre back that is probably big enough already as well = = Not a problem we usually have. We usually have fellas that are a bit small.
But how many Big Crouchy’s make it = = He was the exception. Giants generally don’t make it in professional football. The two lads I referenced are already very big but this may be in comparison to the players they are playing with at the moment. I just don’t want them to get too big or else we may end up with two rugby second rows.
We made pretty good use of Quinn and Cascarino.
If the standard gap is as big as you suggest, it's still unreasonable to expect him to be in and out of that level in one full season
I mean, you keep saying that while ignoring that point that most players don't make the jump in one year - let alone 16-year-olds - precisely because the gap is so large.
If he's still playing U23s next year, then good. It means he's still progressing nicely.
Miroslav Klose was 20 before he made his debut in the German 3rd tier. A different time and a different league I'll grant you but I'd find it hard to write off many aspiring pros at 18. Lots of other examples of comparatively late bloomers too.
Likewise playing men's football early on didn't seem to help Freddy Adu much in the long run.
The ball is round and has many surprises.
No - he's 16. Playing U23s for two seasons is not stagnation or disastrous.
No we're not.
If by Apr 23 - still as an 18-year-old - he is still with the U23s, then he's not stagnating.
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