Manchester United’s loans this season have generally been extremely successful and beyond expectations in some cases for the club’s benefit.
Antony and Marcus Rashford are the first two that come to mind due to their high-profile nature but neither of the pair is likely to stay at the club in the long term.
Therefore, more attention should be paid to the players in the academy who have gone to lower leagues to prove themselves in senior football.
One such player has done that and more, having the decisive say in his team’s win that has seen him celebrate promotion to cap off a successful move.
Ethan Ennis celebrates Doncaster Rovers’ promotion
Ethan Ennis was among an army of players who looked to lower-league football in the January window to get some senior minutes.
Ennis started well at Doncaster but then started to get more minutes off the bench instead of a starting role.
With the stakes high and Doncaster embroiled in a promotion battle, it was a good experience for Ennis at the starting stages of his career.
He has now had the ultimate loan experience after assisting Billy Sharpe’s injury-time winner against Bradford City in a 2-1 win that has sealed his team’s promotion to League One.
Ennis won a smart header straight off Doncaster’s goal-kick and flicked it onto the path of Sharpe who was running behind the defence.
The headed pass found him in his stride from where Sharpe finished clinically to send Doncaster Rovers fans into delirium, the promotion secure with the 2-1 win.
Another Doncaster loan could be good for Ennis
Now that Doncaster Rovers have been promoted and Ennis is, by all accounts, a liked member of the squad, this promotion is the perfect opportunity for him.
He can play a division higher and won’t have to leave these surroundings for it while getting a tougher challenge at the same time.
At 20, time could be running out for him to make an impact at United so the focus for him needs to be on building his senior football resume.
By playing, and succeeding higher up the leagues, Ennis could do just that, starting with another loan at Doncaster, this time in the third division.
That assist probably already has him at fan-favourite status!
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/wmVSBsj