[Albion] Who was the last player to break through from the youth team/development squad?

Lush said:

The Alexander-Arnold approach. And what you get is that fearlessness that comes with playing a skilful 20-year-old.

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And there was a massive hint of luck about him breaking through. He's seized his chance massively and I'd assume they'd spotted his potential, but that's a kid who was nowhere and all of a sudden he's playing every game because of the number of injuries in front of him. It's very Harry Kane, but without all the tame loan spells prior to him getting the chance in the team he actually wanted to play for. I'm a big fan of Alexander-Arnold, as everyone is - but I do wonder how much he's just been lucky.

That being said, I think talent wins through in the end, one way or another. Marcus Rashford would, presumably, have eventually made a breakthrough at United without being thrown into the Europa League team because nobody else was alive.

Ninja Elephant said:

And there was a massive hint of luck about him breaking through. He's seized his chance massively and I'd assume they'd spotted his potential, but that's a kid who was nowhere and all of a sudden he's playing every game because of the number of injuries in front of him. It's very Harry Kane, but without all the tame loan spells prior to him getting the chance in the team he actually wanted to play for. I'm a big fan of Alexander-Arnold, as everyone is - but I do wonder how much he's just been lucky.

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Agreed.

Exactly the same is true of Wan-Bissaka, too.

edna krabappel said:

Palace used to bang on about their academy but after Zaha, nobody even had a sniff of a first team place until Wan-Bissaka came along, and he (bizarrely now) was only played out of desperation, and wasn't even one of the higher rated players in their system. Fair play to him for making the most of his chance.

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Lush said:

The Alexander-Arnold approach. And what you get is that fearlessness that comes with playing a skilful 20-year-old.

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Ninja Elephant said:

And there was a massive hint of luck about him breaking through. He's seized his chance massively and I'd assume they'd spotted his potential, but that's a kid who was nowhere and all of a sudden he's playing every game because of the number of injuries in front of him.

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hans kraay fan club said:

Agreed.

Exactly the same is true of Wan-Bissaka, too.

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This is the whole point about youth development, though, isn't it - giving the youngsters a chance. Almost every kid who makes the grade will have had that first opportunity where more senior players were injured or suspended or horribly out of form and they were given a chance - which they grabbed with both hands.

That is why it was so disappointing that when we had only two available centre-backs, for 3 Premier League matches this season, Hughton left Ben White out of the squad. It is why I was so disappointed to read Hughton say, after the Liverpool home game this season when he had Max Sanders and Beram Kayal on the bench "It's about the squad and trusting. Arguably in a two in midfield we were always going to put Beram on first, but it's great experience for him."

It is clear, from Hughton's four-and-a-half-year tenure, that he simply doesn't trust playing Albion's own youngsters. He has said as much.

AZ Gull said:

This is the whole point about youth development, though, isn't it - giving the youngsters a chance. Almost every kid who makes the grade will have had that first opportunity where more senior players were injured or suspended or horribly out of form and they were given a chance - which they grabbed with both hands.

That is why it was so disappointing that when we had only two available centre-backs, for 3 Premier League matches this season, Hughton left Ben White out of the squad. It is why I was so disappointed to read Hughton say, after the Liverpool home game this season when he had Max Sanders and Beram Kayal on the bench "It's about the squad and trusting. Arguably in a two in midfield we were always going to put Beram on first, but it's great experience for him."

It is clear, from Hughton's four-and-a-half-year tenure, that he simply doesn't trust playing Albion's own youngsters. He has said as much.

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I think it’s fear.......