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Former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been on both ends of the equation when it comes to dealing with precocious young talents
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has offered a hugely important pointer to any young players looking to make it in the professional game - highlighting a former Liverpool teammate as the perfect example. Oxlade-Chamberlain has some expertise in this area. He was second only to future Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott as Southampton's youngest-ever player when he made his debut against Huddersfield in a League One clash in March 2010 at 16 years and 199 days old. Less than a year and a half later, he moved to Arsenal for a £12 million fee, which back in the day, was still quite a lot of money.
Oxlade-Chamberlain would find himself on the other end of the equation during his days at Liverpool, however, as part of an experienced group of players tasked with helping bring through the next generation of talents. The midfielder is grateful that he was able to draw on his own developmental period at Southampton and the model professionals he had worked with at that time.
Speaking to Ben Foster and Tom Ochoa on Fozcast, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: "There is an element of luck and timing, when you get your opportunity, taking it at the right time, and performing on the right day. "The underlying factor of it all though is consistency and professionalism, how you work every day, what kind of character you are. That gets you more opportunities to be able to perform at the right time. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. "A big thing for young players when they break into the first team, which is quite daunting, is that your character gets tested early. Having that respect for your older teammates to listen to, but also having that arrogance and confidence, is crucial. “The last example I can remember that did it well was Curtis Jones. When he first came into the Liverpool team, we all knew what Curt was like with the young boys – he was confident, the leader of the group. "When he came into the first team, we had players like Jordan Henderson and James Milner, but he [Curtis] still had that about him. "When we trained, he still had that confidence to try a stepover. When the older boys did some old-school treatment on him, he reacted well to it, listened, stopped and reflected. "That goes a long way with older players, and people want to come in and help you, and look after you, and make you shine. “I was the same – I had Adam Lallana, Jose Fonte, Ricky Lambert, all these senior pros that were really good players, but I really tried to integrate with them, learn from them, clean their boots if they wanted me too just so I could earn that respect.
"They take you under their wing, and they help you. It’s difficult to go from being a kid to playing men’s football – you must have that support around you from players and coaches, but you have to have that bit of confidence and arrogance. " Oxlade-Chamberlain is now without a club after being released from his contract at Besiktas in August. Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, We Are Terriers. com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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