Preston have seen Ben Davies and Josh Earl come up from the youth setup in recent years, and more will hopefully follow.
We saw Ethan Walker make his debut last season at the age of just 16, whilst there are high hopes for the likes of Jack Armer, Jack Baxter and Lewis Earl.
There has also been some excitement about Aaron Bennett, a 15-year-old playmaker. The Welsh talent made a cameo appearance against Bristol City in the FA Youth Cup, and showed his potential with an impressive display, in which he showed creativity and almost scored with a 40-yard lob.
Bennett gave fans a glimpse of his quality, but could we see more of him soon? Alan Nixon today claims that Bennett is in line to be fast-tracked to the Preston first team, with ‘insiders’ allegedly calling him ‘the best find in years’.
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It’s noted that Bennett was a recent substitute in a senior behind-closed-doors game, again showing how highly he’s regarded at Deepdale.
A first-team role could materialise before the end of the season, with Alex Neil seemingly impressed. Preston haven’t always had a great history in terms of promoting players from the youth setup, but Neil has shown he’ll put players in if he believes they can play.
Earl was thrown in as Greg Cunningham’s replacement in 2017 when injury struck, despite his only senior experience before that coming in a loan spell at Lancaster. Armer is now in and around the first team, and Walker’s debut came under Neil against Aston Villa; a sign of his talent.
Bennett coming through early would be exciting for fans, but a playoff push may make it difficult to risk throwing in a 15-year-old. There’s plenty of time for Bennett to make his impact, but these reports suggest he could be given his chance to shine this term.