Why Playing Abroad Could be The Answer For Young English Talent
Jadon Sancho has been making all kinds of headlines this year, the young 17-year-old attacking midfielder decided to swap the blue side of Manchester for a switch to Borussia Dortmund this year, and it appears to be paying off. Sancho has been given a chance at Dortmund and has repaid the team’s faith in him with a solid return of goals and assists. Recent figures that have been published suggest that the young forward’s transfer value has increased by 800% and football expert Ahmed Nashaat believes that this would never have happened if he hadn’t moved and that this should be a lesson for many other young players.
Growth
Being a complete football player is not just about the development of talent but also personal development. In leaving home and everything that players know and love, they are testing themselves in a different culture, something which can help to create very well rounded individuals. These days clubs have everything in place to aid foreign players to be in and get used to their new home, and this makes going abroad a great option for English talent.
New Skills
Young players who do go abroad will be training in different ways and understanding new styles of playing in whichever country they happen to go to, which can greatly enhance their ability. Take Tottenham’s Eric Der, for example, a traditional English defender and a defensive midfielder who possesses a lot of skill and ball playing ability which we are more used to seeing on the continent. When young English talent does go abroad they will bring back far more than they left with.
Playing Time
There really is no substitute for real match experience and it is something which many of our youngsters are struggling to get. The Premier League is a pressure cooker for many managers which means that they are often reluctant to give young talent a chance to shine, usually sending them out on loan repeatedly before selling. When youngsters like Sancho head to foreign clubs however they are not simply being bought for their potential ability, they are also buying them for what they can offer right now. Many young players would do well to go abroad and rack up many minutes of playing time in competitive games which can prepare them for the future. The way in which Sancho, for example, approached his England debut against the USA is proof just how comfortable players can feel once they have had this experience.
Spotlight
Although we still see what the English boys are doing each week, the level of media scrutiny is far lower than it would be if they were still plying their trade in the Premier League. There isn’t anonymity when they disappear to new pastures but there certainly is not the heavy attention on these young men that they would have here in the UK, and this is what can help them to reach the potential which they have.
Boris Dzhingarov graduated UNWE with a major in marketing. He is the founder of ESBO ltd a brand mentioning company. He is also passionate about meditation and healthy living. You can find articles on such topics at his spiritual blog Dzhingarov.com.