Once again, the Championship is seeing an abundance of emerging talent come through, with a high number of these footballers still in their teenage years.
And whilst these players are admired by their respective fanbases’, their brilliance is more often than not being monitored by clubs with spending power, or they are enjoying a brief loan spell from a club that is, more often than not, one of Europe’s elite.
Teenage Stars Proving Their Worth in This Season’s Championship
17-Year-Old Harvey Elliott Continuing to Shine at Blackburn Rovers
Liverpool winger Harvey Elliott has enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 Championship campaign thus far. The 17-year-old has become an integral part of Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray’s side and is certainly reaping the rewards of consistent second-tier football.
Elliott has scored four goals this season and has registered an additional eight assists as he is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting prospects in English football. But, it is not just the winger’s end product that is impressing Mowbray, who has outlined Elliott as an ‘unbelievable’ player in an interview with The Athletic. The 57-year-old has been particularly impressed by the forward’s attitude and work rate and believes his Blackburn side are playing a massive part in his development
“You can’t get him off the training ground,” he said. “When he plays a game and comes into training the next day, the lads who haven’t been involved might be taking part in a small-sided game and Harvey just wants to join in.
“It’s an amazing attitude he’s got. He’s helping us, helping our team and hopefully, we’re helping Liverpool develop a player and we’re helping Harvey. Everybody wins as far as I can see.”
Teenage Sensation Alex Mighten Continuing to See Championship Opportunities
It may not be the season Nottingham Forest fans were expecting, but their recent form is a clear sign of improvement. They have lost just once in their last 11 games and are pushing towards mid-table solidarity.
The January transfer window saw the club gain experience in the signing of 37-year-old striker Glenn Murray, but the continued rise of 18-year-old Alex Mighten will be equally as exciting for the Forest faithful. The winger has appeared 11 times this season, accumulating 500 minutes of Championship football in the process.
Born in America, Mighten moved to England in his early years and joined the youth setup at Nottingham Forest in 2009. He has also represented England at youth level and he will certainly be hoping to continue his affiliation with his national side in years to come.
Mighten has one goal and one assist to his name this season, with both of them coming against Millwall but on different occasions. His skilful nature on the ball and ability to get past a defender has already caused chaos in the second tier of English football, with a highly-watched video emerging from Forest’s home tie with Millwall proving what an exciting prospect they have in their hands.
Michael Olise‘s Performances With the Royals Earning European Speculation
Reading winger Michael Olise is another teenager who has thoroughly impressed in the Championship this season. The now 19-year-old became an integral part of Mark Bowen‘s Reading side in the second half of last season and has since remained a first-team regular under Veljko Paunovic.
Paunovic’s continued faith in the young forward is certainly being rewarded, with Olise netting four times and assisting eight in his 21 starts for the Berkshire club. The winger has undoubted ability and is flourishing in a side filled with young talents, with the Royals fighting amongst the play-offs, but there seems to be a few questions regarding his attitude.
Former Reading winger Stephen Hunt is one individual who believes that the 19-year-old needs to “channel his attitude in the right way” if he is to earn a move to one of Europe’s elite.
Teenager Joao Pedro Continuing to Impress in Watford’s Promotion Chase
Another 19-year-old who finds himself in and amongst the Championship play-offs is Watford striker Joao Pedro. In a frontline that is bursting with talent, the Brazilian has more than stepped up to the task.
In 17 league appearances, Pedro has scored six goals and has assisted another one, but has found first-team starting opportunities harder to come by since December. However, he got the nod ahead of Watford’s 6-0 thrashing of Bristol City on Saturday, and despite not directly contributing to the 6-0 scoreline, he put in a brilliant performance.
His performance against the Robins also highlighted that he offers a lot more than just an end product. The 19-year-old is extremely confident with the ball at his feet and he tends to drop deeper to receive the ball, and he links up well with his fellow forwards.
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