THE final part of our EFL Youth Development Week player focus takes a look at the latest Academy graduate to break into the first team: Reece Hutchinson.
Having only signed his first professional deal last summer, some supporters may have not been familiar with Reece Hutchinson heading into the new season. However, now every Burton Albion fan is well aware of the talent he possesses.
Hutchinson enjoyed a terrific 2017-18 season within the Academy, starring for the side in the EFL Youth Alliance and developing from a solid left back into an attacking player who proved to be a goal threat in the second half of the campaign.
In November of 2017, Hutchinson joined Romulus on-loan and it was there that was able to experience men’s football.
After returning to the Brewers at the turn of the year, Hutchinson started to show his attacking quality. Having scored a stunning goal against Bolton Wanderers in a friendly at St. George’s Park, the youngster then scored a brilliant hat-trick against a then unbeaten Rotherham United in the EFL Youth Alliance.
After proving to be one of the standout players in the Academy last season, Hutchinson signed his first professional deal in the summer of 2018, along with fellow graduate Callum Hawkins.
The left back started in a pre-season friendly at the Pirelli Stadium against Aston Villa and went on to make his first team debut against Gillingham on just the second weekend of the current season, replacing Damien McCrory early in the game.
Hutchinson has gone on to make the left back position his own in the league, while he has also started Carabao Cup games against Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Manchester City.
Hutchinson has played 24 times across all competitions this season, the most games played by a first year professional in the history of the Academy.