Football League World
·17. Januar 2025
Football League World
·17. Januar 2025
Scott Parker thrust Joe Bauress into the spotlight last week
Joe Bauress was a name that had gone to the back of most Burnley fans' minds since he made his first team debut at the age of just 16 back in 2022.
But fast-forward over two years from the day he became the club's youngest player since the turn of the century, and after a nasty injury ruled him out of the entirety of last season, Bauress is back in the first team picture.
Scott Parker thrust him into the spotlight last weekend when he gave him a maiden Burnley start against Reading in the FA Cup, and it's fair to say the 18-year-old didn't disappoint alongside fellow academy graduate Tommy McDermott in the centre of the park.
Blooding youngsters is something that has long-since proved tricky for the Clarets, who have truly only produced Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil for their own benefit across the last 20 years.
The tide seems to be turning in their favour in that sense now though, with several young stars getting close to making the grade, with Bauress currently being the one who most believe is at the front of the line of youth players knocking on the door.
One of the real shortcomings of Alan Pace's reign as Burnley chairman has been how the club have struggled in the academy setting, with the American in charge for the club's promotion to Category One status, but also their swift demotion back to Category Two.
Category One academies tend to attract a better calibre of players, thus more tend to work into the first team at those clubs, so if Burnley can get their Category One status back for next season as they hope, then Bauress may not be the only academy graduate in the ranks.
For now though, Bauress remains the brightest prospect at the club, and on the evidence of last weekend he's mature enough to be worth a shot in the first team right now.
The level of trust his senior teammates put in him to give him the ball in tight areas was something you seldom see towards an 18-year-old, and that's because they know he's good enough to look after possession.
The former England youth cap played the 'Josh Cullen role' admirably and did himself no harm as far as becoming a first team regular is concerned, even contributing towards two of Burnley's three goals in Berkshire.
It's still early in his development, but with such maturity to his game at such a young age, it wouldn't be amiss to suggest the club could've unearthed a man who could be worth millions in months or years to come.
With Josh Brownhill looking likelier to depart at the end of the season when his contract runs out with each passing week, Burnley will soon be looking for midfield alternatives to replace him unless something drastic changes.
Bauress' emergence means that the blow could be cushioned somewhat, and although he arguably isn't as good as Brownhill is currently, in years to come he could well even surpass his current level, such is his performance level at just 18.
Not even just Bauress though, young McDermott also performed admirably against Reading, playing a slightly more advanced role than Bauress did.
McDemott perhaps lacks the maturity to his game that Bauress has just yet, but there's no doubting he's shown huge promise in the two games he's played for the club so far.
The former Port Vale youngster is more comparable to Brownhill in terms of how he likes to get forward and affect the game in the final third, but the pair compliment each other well and could save Burnley millions in the market.
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