Jonathan Liew’s piece (Raheem Sterling’s bleak tale a reminder of absurd path young footballers face, 17 September) is informative and timely, particularly when set against Jacob Steinberg’s report (‘They are very similar’: Arsenal’s Dowman reminds Merino of Lamine Yamal, 16 September) .
The tiny proportion of young footballers originally “signed” by top flight clubs at a ludicrously young age, who then achieve their dreams of a Premier League career, rather than being summarily dismissed at the age of 16 or 17 with the vast majority of their contemporaries, should be a reality check for parents/guardians of all aspiring young athletes.
For those such as Raheem Sterling, Max Dowman and JJ Gabriel, who do achieve their ambitions, the pressures, from coaches, fans, sponsors and social media must be immense. To navigate such pressures requires an exceptional degree of individual maturity way beyond their years, ideally alongside a trusted safeguarding mentor, to guide them through the many pitfalls in their path, rather than relying on cliched verbal assurances from their clubs regarding their welfare. To help minimise the many risks to such young talents, I would also suggest that the football authorities ban any agent recruiting/negotiating on behalf of any player under the age of 18, none of whom need to be exposed to such malign influences in the early stages of their careers.
Without such measures being put in place, I have no doubt that in years to come there will be regular reports of young athletes, similarly lauded in their mid-teens as the next “big thing”, only to succumb to the pressures associated with success in their chosen sport – a bleak prospect indeed.
Phil Murray
Linlithgow, West Lothian
