Ethan Laird

Red_toad

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Looking forward to catching the odd game where he’s playing. When he’s fit he looks a dead cert to make it in the game. Pretty sure he’d have featured in the first team if not a few injuries at the wrong time.
 

Adnan

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It should be a good game, it’s a shame it’s not at Stadium MK. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while because we play a style more suited to a higher level, so a struggling PL team will be a good test. We played Liverpool in the LC last season and it took a GK blunder to break the deadlock and then we conceded the second pushing.

I fancy us if we turn up.
From what you've shared it seems like the kid has been sensible in choosing MK Dons due to the style of play which should suit him. I'm glad he's made a sensible decision because Jimmy Garner IMO chose the wrong club due to the style of play and I even said at the time that he should've chosen to go to Huddersfield due to their coach (Coberan) having a distinct style of play which would've suited him and better prepared him for a crack at the United first team.

But I hope Laird can stay injury free because he's a very good prospect.
 

Number TwentyFive

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I agree with you Adnan, MK Dons seems like a good choice. They like their fullbacks to attack and that will hopefully be good for him.
 

slyadams

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We're not giving a good account of ourselves. I forgot our 1st choice CM was injured, but should be doing better than this. We look panicked and rushed.
 

slyadams

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As expected Poole moved into the middle 3 to make space for him.
 

AJ VII

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Getting 60 min against a PL team today is good. Hope he has a good loan without injuries so he possibly can challenge awb next season.
 
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Silas

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Game's now in ET, so some more minutes for Laird if anyone wants to catch them.
 

Thiagoal

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I've noticed comments of this nature across various young players' threads. There seems to be a misunderstanding of the type of player that Championship clubs look to recruit on loan. All you need to do is go to Transfermarkt and look at who went on loan to the Championship in the summer, last season and the season before last. In simple terms, they have a strong preference for experience. They don't want to take risks with U23 players, regardless of how talented they may appear. If Laird impresses in League One, then Championship teams will be interested.

The difference between James Garner and Ethan Laird, in the eyes of Championship teams, is that United were prepared to take the risk of starting Garner in the EL games against Partizan away and AZ Alkmaar, matches in which United used first team players. United trashed the value of starting against Astana by fielding such a weak team.

I posted this in Dylan Levitt's thread back in September:

If you look at the loans into the Championship last season and the season before, they fall into the following categories:

- experienced player mid 20s to mid 30s, no longer wanted by their PL side

- young player with previous experience in the Championship, either on loan or has recently been bought by a PL team from a Championship side

- young player with experience on loan in either League One, Eredivisie or Scot Prem (Dean Henderson route, also Mason Mount Eredivise loan)

- young player with a few starts in the PL for his parent club (Tuanzebe at the time he joined Villa on loan)

- young player who plays regularly for England U19, U20 or U21 (Chelsea have/had quite a few in this category)

- a small number of elite talents from the top tier of PL2 U23
I hear what you’re saying. My surprise was mainly that a Championship club didn’t come in for him as I rate him as one of the best academy prospects we’ve had in the last decade! MK Dons have done amazingly well getting him!
 

Silas

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did he do well otherwise?
I only caught ET, so not sure how he was before.

Played as a wingback, so at that point in the game didn't really see much action defensively as he was used as an outlet on the counter (along with their LWB, who saw most of the action). As you can guess from that video, he looked pretty good going forward, taking on and beating his man pretty regularly to relieve pressure. Physically didn't look out of place at all either. One criticism would be that he could've released the ball slightly earlier on those longer runs, but it's a minor one, especially as he's obviously looking to impress.

No idea how he compared to the RB he came on for, so can't say what this means for his minutes, but it was definitely a promising performance. Based on the half hour I caught, at least.
 

Alemar

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So did he do well and deserved to start one of their next games based on today? It’s important for him to get as many minutes as possible
 

Adnan

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He hadn't even trained with his new team mates and was thrust straight into the first 11 as a sub. Very encouraging performance against a PL team too, so I hope to see him starting the game on Tuesday which is away to Northampton.
 

dutchred

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He hadn't even trained with his new team mates and was thrust straight into the first 11 as a sub. Very encouraging performance against a PL team too, so I hope to see him starting the game on Tuesday which is away to Northampton.
He is cup tied so can't play
 

Bojan Djordjic

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Haha..brave man to be laying it on thick about the United winning DNA after the last decade we've had though. :D

Seems like a nice kid. Look forward to following his progress with the Dons.
 

Trequarista10

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Bloody hell that's a great interview. Not the usual I would have expected to see, where young players nervously spit out meaningless clichés from their media training. He seems really self assured, confident but in a realistic way not a "I'm better than this" way. He has a great personality and certainly backs his ability.

I had mentally sort of written him off a bit because of a few injuries but hope he shines on loan. Playing as a wing back with a license to produce some "fireworks" could really suit him.
 

slyadams

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We’re 2-0 at half time playing on an abomination of a pitch.

Laird is doing well, neither goal was down his side, had a few good touches, but the pitch really doesn’t suit the Dons or playing any decent football at all.
 
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Maybe I'm guilty of overrating our talents, but he's the academy player I'm by far the most excited about. Has everything to be a perfect modern two-way fullback, just needs to stay fit which is a massive ask for him, unfortunately. Would love if he tears it up at MK and comes back to compete with AWB for the RB spot next season, I think it would make them both better. Probably unrealistic though, a Championship loan to a middling team would do him a lot of good if he impresses in L1. Benefited Reece James a lot with Wigan.
 

KevinJoh

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From what I understand it was good game for him, some lads on twitter saying he was the best in the team, but they lost with like conceding from every shot on target.
Third goal is on him, but I guess it is a reason why he is on loan, to get experience from situations like this. Here is the goal , he should not allow cross like this, and hopefully won't in the future. The most important thing, 90 minutes, after 60 in FA Cup.
 

red woppit

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From what I understand it was good game for him, some lads on twitter saying he was the best in the team, but they lost with like conceding from every shot on target.
Third goal is on him, but I guess it is a reason why he is on loan, to get experience from situations like this. Here is the goal , he should not allow cross like this, and hopefully won't in the future. The most important thing, 90 minutes, after 60 in FA Cup.
No he shouldn't, and he will learn from this experience, but the guy who scored the goal virtually trotted past two defenders, and had a couple of yards of space to fire home.
Really needs to play the majority of MK's remaining games this season, injury's permitting, and I have high hopes he can be the RB that can really push, and possibly establish.himself as first choice.
 

dutchred

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Hopefully he can learn from this experience and fingers crossed stay fit. The best youth right back I have seen since Bobby Noble.
 

Adam-Utd

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This is why he's on loan. He needs to learn from those sort of positions as it's not just attack all day long like it can be at reserve level.

Good to see he's playing anyway
 

slyadams

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Thanks for the update. Would love a report on him after the game, if you´re watching it :)
Yeah, I’m a ST holder at the dons. We’re completely hammering Fleetwood so it’s not really much of a test tbh. Hopefully he’ll get to cut lose.

He’s been very neat and tidy and you can see his movement is excellent. He just cut inside, beat a man and had a good shot blocked.