Fulham Under-21s captain Ollie O’Neill has admitted he’s been so impressed with teenager Jonathan Esenga this season.
O’Neill was speaking to the club’s official website after their defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in the Football League Trophy last night.
It’s been another very strong season for Hayden Mullins’s Under-21 side.
They currently sit third in the Premier League 2, ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Only London rivals Tottenham and West Ham sit above them in the table and the future looks bright for Fulham’s youngsters.
The pathway from the academy to the first team hasn’t been the easiest to navigate even for the most talented players.
The fact that the likes of Matt O’Riley and Harvey Elliott are thriving without being handed their opportunity at Fulham is very frustrating.
Another player looking to bridge that gap in the near future is Jonathan Esenga.
Ollie O’Neill – who is yet to make his senior Fulham debut but has appeared in a matchday squad before – has admitted how impressed he’s been with Esenga.
At just 16 years old, he’s already established himself as a regular at Under-21 level and is part of the Young Lions set-up with England.
O’Neill impressed with ‘amazing’ Esenga
The 16-year-old was playing at left-back again last night but still managed to find the back of the net to give Fulham a late lifeline to try and rescue the game.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t secure an equaliser after O’Neill scored on the stroke of half-time and the Republic of Ireland young international said: “Yeah, I love Jonno, Jonno’s like a little brother to me.
“It’s amazing the way he’s playing, like his maturity, he’s been in for the whole season more or less and I’m sure the sky’s the limit for Jonno because I definitely couldn’t have done that at 16.”
It’s not the first time O’Neill has talked about how impressed he’s been with Esenga this season.
The left-back will hope to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Sessegnon who has arguably been the biggest success of the Fulham academy in the past ten years even if his move to Tottenham hasn’t quite worked out.
Alongside the likes of Luke Harris, Jay Stansfield and Luc de Fougerolles, it feels like the future is bright at Craven Cottage.
Whether Marco Silva is in a position to regularly play these players is one thing.
But Fabio Carvalho proved before his ill-advised move to Liverpool that the Portuguese is willing to give you a chance if you’re good enough.