This preseason was always going to give some player a platform to perform, and so far Ethan Ampadu has been one of those fringe elements to benefit.
The Wales international has come in from the cold – well, from a loan spell in Venice – and already picked up some minutes in our first preseason game.
Meanwhile his friends and peers Billy Gilmour and Harvey Vale have already been sent packing.
Ampadu’s place is safe for now – although the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly and the arrival of further defensive reinforcement makes is ever less secure.
In quotes picked up by the Athletic he explained that he still had high hopes of getting in the team permanently:
“There are a few of us with that same mindset that want to break through,” Ampadu said. “We’re out here now and it’s our chance to show it.
“Like every footballer out there, my dream is to be at the top. I don’t think that’s a bad thing to say and dream; everyone wants to be at the top. It’s about fighting and getting towards that.”
The mid season World Cup will really change the balance for a lot of players like Ampadu, who might otherwise have been happy to just have a season training with the first team under their belt, with some cup games thrown into the mix.
