Give Lads Break, Says Eager Josh

LIFE as a young player attempting to elbow your way into a first team is fraught with peril – something that on-loan Bury midfielder Josh Laurent knows all too well.

- Charlie Peat

At 22, Laurent has been at seven different clubs, three in loan spells, but the midfielder has made little more than 50 league appearances.

Laurent was a product of the QPR academy but opted to leave in 2015 as he went in search of regular football.

Rangers’ head of football operations Les Ferdinand revealed at the time that he had been unable to convince Laurent of a pathway from the academy into the R’s first team squad.

Faith

Laurent said: “I think it’s very difficult for youngsters. There’s a lot of talent in these youth teams. Some of the players blame themselves for not pushing hard enough to get into a first team, but I think clubs need to trust them more.

“When a manager has trusted a young player in the past, they’ve gone on to do really well. I do think the talent is there, but you need someone to trust you and push you, otherwise it’s wasted.