5 English Youngsters Looking to Impress While Playing Abroad
There is a stereotype that English youngsters not playing in the Premier League will happily sit on the bench collecting their wages instead of seeking a loan move elsewhere. Very few even established English professionals look to continue their career abroad.
However, here are five players plying their trade overseas.
Chris Willock – Benfica
The left winger began his career as a hot prospect at Arsenal. Despite progressing well through the Under 18s and 21s, he failed to make an impact on the first team squad. Last July, the 20-year-old decided to jump overseas to play senior football. Benfica B, the reserve side of the Portuguese giants, signed the youngster on a five-year contract.
The forward has bagged three goals in the Ledman Liga Pro, the second tier of Portuguese football. He has featured 16 times this season, starting 13 and looks to have progressed well abroad.
Kaylen Hinds – Vfl Wolfsburg
Hinds is another who began his career at Arsenal, making his way up the youth system before bowing out at the Under 23s. With six goals and two assists alongside 12 appearances for League Two side Stevenage to his name, the forward made the jump to the Bundesliga. A £1.35m move to Wolfsburg looked to begin a new path for Hinds.
The 20-year-old has only made one league appearance, playing 90 minutes on his debut against Borussia Dortmund. However, a run of illness and injuries has limited his time on the pitch. His only other appearance came in a DFB Pokal cup 1st round victory.
With limited opportunities available, Hinds has now moved on loan to German second-tier side Greuther Furth till the end of the season. Another injury setback has meant the youngster hasn’t made the squad for a match yet though.
Rolando Aarons – Hellas Verona
Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund
Sacho made the news in the summer when £7m was paid for the 18-year-old. The former Manchester City was a star in their under 18s side, scoring 15 goals and making six assists.
Since his transfer to Borussia Dortmund, the winger has settled well into the first team. Six Bundesliga appearances are already under his belt, managing 90 minutes on half of those occasions. Sancho also has played for the Dortmund reserve side three times and scored the same amount for the under 19s side.
Reece Oxford – Borussia Monchengladbach
The central midfielder caught fans eyes in an impressive display in a West Ham victory over Arsenal at the beginning of the 2015/16 season. Since then though, his performances have dropped for the Hammers. The 19-year-old is looking to further his progression now on loan in the Bundesliga.
Oxford moved in the summer as he looked to gain more first-team football. However, chances have been limited with only four appearances in his time so far in Germany. He was recalled in January for a short time, while West Ham played Shrewsbury Town and Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.
Since then, he has gone back abroad to Monchengladbach and will hope to continue his development.
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