‘Years 18 to 22 is period you go from youngster to professional footballer’: Simon Stone

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Simon Stone who works as a journalist for one of Britain’s biggest news organizations, explained during a recent interview how the years 18-22 brought transition in the careers of young footballers.

Money and players are changing tents presently as teams try to fill holes, provide spares or dispose of unnecessary baggage. One of the clubs in which much activity has taken place in the transfer window is Manchester United where several skippers have been sent off via loan deals.

However, one question that some would love an experienced answer to is the importance of loan transfers to players. Simon Stone was speaking to manutd.com lately when he answered that question using an insight born of years and experience.

‘As with all of the loans, the key is playing games,’ he said.

‘It does matter the level, but the level is secondary to playing games.

‘If you are at a good level but you’re coming off the bench for a minute every game that’s not actually furthering your career.

‘The period between 18 and 22 is when you go from being a youngster with a lot of promise to being a professional footballer. You only get experience, you only get your development by playing games.

‘If you bridge those four years and you have played 20 games and 10 of them have been as a sub in the last 15 minutes then you’re not actually further on than you were four years earlier. And you are four years older.

‘The good thing about Hugill [who scored on his debut for Burton Albion] is yes, he scored the goal, but he was on the pitch. That is the key element.’

Another importance the journalist did not mention was that players who are usually benched are less important in their teams. Furthermore, sending those players off to places where they are wanted more could be career transforming to the players in a good way.

Many players have found homes in clubs they once saw as camps after finding people to work with and being able to play at their best.

There are possible opposite views to Simon Stone’s statement that not playing often enough between the ages of 18-22 set players’ careers back, but who can would argue it is not good to get more chance to develop oneself and get more business opportunities?