The Football League Paper

says...

We need to nurture our young stars

AFEW years ago, academies were under-fire for not producing enough talented youngsters.

Recently, though, that view has been changing as a crop of exciting starlets emerge. In the Championship, 16-yearold midfielder Jude Bellingham has made people sit up and take notice by scoring the winner for Birmingham in successive matches.

In addition, Wigan’s 17-year-old striker Joe Gelhardt came off the bench and scored a fine goal just three minutes later to earn the Latics a 2-2 draw at Hull last weekend.

They are a couple of headline examples, but others are also chomping at the bit to show what they can do.

It’s proving that the talent is there – if young players are given a chance in the first team. Managers are, of course, judged on results and often decide to go with experience rather than risk blooding a rookie who could make mistakes.

But that short-term view is blocking the path for young players who could step up to the plate.

What is also important is that the youngsters are looked after properly. Too much hype and expectation won’t do them any good.

How they are treated now could have a lasting impact on their career – something that former England manager Sam Allardyce talks about in his insightful column on page 13.

It’s about finding the right balance and sometimes loan spells lower down the ladder can play a major role in helping a player develop. In our Big Interview on pages 4 and 5, Bristol City defender Taylor Moore tells how his temporary moves have helped toughen him up and prepared him for Championship football.

He points out how many top young players are coming through in English football and it helps that England manager Gareth Southgate has embraced the chance to give youth its head.

The academies are producing and now we need to nurture and polish the raw diamonds coming through the system.

Going for glory

THERE are some cracking Carabao Cup ties to look forward to this week – Preston entertain Manchester City, Colchester host Tottenham and MK Dons take on Liverpool.

In addition, there is a tasty derby on the south coast as Portsmouth play host to arch-rivals Southampton. We wish all our EFL teams well as they seek to cause shocks.