THE first time I saw Ryan Sessegnon was at Newcastle last year. Fulham battered them 3-1 and Ryan scored two.
He should actually have notched his first hat-trick that day, but Tim Ream nicked a late penalty off him – then missed it!
Newcastle were a very, very good side, the best in the Championship and chock-full of Premier League players.
So, for a 16-year-old to tear them apart the way he did, especially on their home ground, was sensational. We all thought ‘This kid is going to be some player’.
Nothing I’ve seen since has dissuaded me from that view. I covered the Under-19 European Championships during the summer, when Ryan finished as joint-top scorer.
This week, he finally got that first hat-trick in Fulham’s 5-4 victory over Sheffield United. The lad is getting better and better.
What’s been critical to his progression is staying in the Football League, playing regularly and learning his trade.
Grounding
Would Ryan have got this many opportunities at Chelsea? At Man City? No chance. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to get a grounding at this level.
Denne historien er fra November 26, 2017-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
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Denne historien er fra November 26, 2017-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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