Former Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United midfielder Michael Brown believes the Leasing.com Trophy is an important experience for young players.

Brown, who worked as a pundit for EFL on Quest’s coverage of his former side Portsmouth’s victory against Sunderland in last year’s sell-out Wembley final, has praised the competition for the opportunities it provides. 

“Whoever was at the final last year will tell you what an atmosphere and what an occasion it was,” said Brown. 

He addied: “I was there covering the game and you saw how much of a special day out it was for the supporters.

“That shows you that as a young player, if you can get to this final it’s a brilliant competition, because they can have that experience of playing in such an occasion.”

The competition continues to provide opportunities for young players to develop at Clubs. During the 2018/19 season, over 2,200 players under the age of 21 appeared on team sheets across all 64 teams in the competition. Debuts handed to players aged 15 and 21 also rose by over 225% from 2015/16 to 2017/18. 

“For those young players to have the chance to play against senior professionals in a competitive game is massive,” Brown continued. 

“The academy games are okay. That’s where you get your touch, you get your style, you’re learning when to pass, when to overlap etc.

“But once you go into these Leasing.com Trophy games, it really does help them learn the tricks of the trade, because those senior players will take advantage of you and it’s at that point you learn quickly, which is where having that experience can really help.”


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