Opinion: What’s In Store for Storer?

Jack Storer burst onto the scene as a youngster not too dissimilar to the likes of Marcus Rashford for Manchester United. Yes, the latter got an England call up and played in a major competition for his country but the premise is still the same. The one major thing that really is the difference between the two is the attitude both on and off the pitch it seems.

Attitude is a massive part to a young players progression. Warren Joyce, the now Wigan manager but previous academy director at Manchester United has said that players often forget to work hard after they come into the first team set up as they believe that they have already made it which hinders them from making further progress. I think this typifies Storer’s attitude to the game most definitely. He was sent out on loan to a good club, Yeovil Town where he could have learnt a lot from the players around him but also it could have been a stepping stone.

It’s one thing being a stand out player in the development leagues but it’s another thing doing it in the football league and if he could prove himself at that level then he would be a sure bet in the first team in my opinion. It’s the same with Viv Solomon-Otabor at Bolton, I think. But the loan spell did not work out for Storer and I am guessing it is due to attitude as he could not see the long term plan. I always remember the Liverpool youth team that Raheem Sterling was in. Apart from Raheem, another young man called Adam Morgan really stood out and was tipped to be the next Robbie Fowler. This type of praise seemed to get to his head and his progress stagnated. For interests sake, he is now playing at Curzon Ashton.

Now, I have heard many people say that when he came on in a recent fixture under Gianfranco Zola, it was very unfair of the manager to play him in midfield. I completely agree as I think that young players need confidence and need to be brought in carefully so in Storer’s case, it would be upfront. But, David Beckham always wanted to play in central midfield; that was his goal. Now, when Sir Alex Ferguson played him out wide, he worked hard to play the position and to really put a shift in. Jack Storer didn’t seem to really be trying. Positionally, I can forgive him for not knowing the role. But surely he knows that you need to tackle and track back. It’s just part of the game that everyone knows and he just didn’t do this.

I honestly, don’t think that Jack Storer will have much of a chance at the club. He does well in the youth teams and yes he does have a good eye for goal. But with the spending of the club increasing to bring players in, I doubt that we will put up with Jack’s attitude for much longer and he won’t be given much of a chance in the first team.