The Big "Paucity of English Youth Talent" Debate!

Expect the following former or current England youths to seal loans or permanent deals in the next 3.5 weeks. There may be others but they still involved with their first teams.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Pat Bamford
Izzy Brown
Dom Solanke
Matt Pennington
Jonjoe Kenny
Luke Garbutt
Andre Wisdom
Tyler Blackett
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Will Keane
James Wilson
Liam Moore
Alex Pritchard
Jack Stephens
Sam Gallagher

 

There was rumours a while back that he was going to be sent on loan to NAC Breda. He will probably end up getting a loan at some point.

 

I'd really like to see Colkett get one. He'll be 20 soon, it's about time.

 

This. Also Cameron Brannagan would need a loan now.

 

I see he was subbed at HT in the game before last & then only got the last few minutes off the bench in the next.

I had high hopes for him but maybe Juni can give us his latest opinion ?

 

Quietly Oxford are getting a load of former England Youth internationals in a squad a together. Exciting to see a young British coach back young British talent even if it is only League One.

Curtis Nelson
John Lundstram
Ryan Ledson
Dan Crowley
Joe Rothwell
Tyler Roberts
Robert Hall

 

Yes. Barnsley, Bristol City and Ipswich too.

 

Will Miller who I have always liked has got a loan to Burton. Worth looking out for, hope he starts tonight

 

This is Will Miller a.k.a. Oliver Twist, isn't it?

 

He got a knock in that first one, hence the curtailed involvement in the other. Agree he needs a loan, Chelsea are apparently considering it but want to make sure it's the right one for him. Some suggestions it might be to an overseas team but we'll have to see.

 

Yup. Has struggled a bit with the physicality, but he'll adapt. Think he is a really top player

 

"Worse was to come for Rotherham as their defence backed off to allow [Ryan] Kent, on loan from Liverpool, to curl the fourth into the top corner."

Sounds like it might be worth keeping an eye out for.

 

A lot of former, current or potential England youth sealed moves today and will tomorrow, and are happening in a more transparent way. Terminating emergency loan is not a bad thing after all.

 

I always think this thread highlights how difficult it is to predict who will actually make it.

In my time watching Everton I've only ever been sure of Rooney and Barkley making it. And Barkley looked a big risk at one point after his triple leg break.

Countless other players have come and gone as the next big thing, from Jose Baxter to Ryan Ledson. They'll have careers but not be the players people had pencilled in for them.

The biggest problem seems to be transitioning from youth to mens football. Someone like Hallam Hope had a ridiculously good strike rate at youth level, even for England, yet is struggling in League 2. Then you have all the stepover merchants who can weave their way through youth defences at ease but as soon as they come up against a solid defensive are clueless as to what to do with the ball and end up running into blind allies.

Then you come to people like Tom Davies who flew under the radar at Everton. The coaches have always loved him, Koeman thinks he is great but the style of neat possession and clever interceptions he plays doesn't make him stand out in youth football.

 

Rashford came out of mixed performances for the underage teams to straight break through standout in the first team and into the national team.

Meanwhile Wilson whose been a star in all underage teams is still struggling to adapt to first team football.

 

I think the only players I've ever been sure of making it were Wilshere and Sterling. Though saying that I felt a similar way about McEachran and Crowley. Still time for the latter at least...

 

It really is impossible to predict. I started following youth football around the time of the 2011 U17 World Cup. It's been nice to follow Sterling from there all the way to our senior team and a £50M move to Man City. I remember thinking Pickford was a bit dodgy and that Nick Powell and Chalobah were going to be world class. I also remember that Alex Henshall and Adam Morgan were highly rated back then too, look at them now. Lucas Ocampos was the star for that Argentina team and it's not exactly worked out well for him either.

 

It's impossible to be certain, yes. Sancho is very exciting but hasn't done anything yet, and until very recently you were criticising Rashford loudly and often on this forum. But of course it's trivially easy to be wise after the event.

My track record is very patchy too. I backed Sturridge from the age of 14, but I certainly never saw Harry Kane coming. I still think Crowley will make it as a Premier League player and hopefully a senior international, but then I secretly still think that Chris Bart-Williams is going to captain England one day. The last two players I've felt sure would make it to the top were Patrick Roberts and, before him, Will Hughes, and I could still be wrong about both. Even then I only made those judgements when they were 16/17.

EDIT: Oh, and Luke Shaw, but he was a Premier League first-choice starter at 17 so that's cheating.

 

Actually, shall we have a go? Anyone who feels like it, name the ten England-eligible players who've yet to reach their 18th birthdays with the best chance of getting at least one senior England cap. Might be interesting to dig out in a few years.

Reece Oxford
Marcus Edwards
Mason Mount
Dujon Sterling
Reiss Nelson
Ryan Sessegnon
Angel Gomes
Jadon Sancho
Tashan Oakley-Boothe
Phil Foden

Oxford and Sessegnon feel like the safest choices right now, while Oakley-Boothe is a personal favourite. I haven't seen McAtee or any of the other hyped younger players so I've left them out. And I'm probably overrating the 2000 attack, I know, but they were a lot of fun to watch last season.