UNDER 18s player Ethan Vale has been named in the League Football Education’s ‘The 11’ for February, recognising the midfielder’s achievements on and off the pitch.
Vale has been a regular for the under 18s side this season, even scoring directly from a corner kick recently against Chesterfield in the EFL Youth Alliance.
‘The 11’ acknowledges the football and academic progress of Under-18 players on apprenticeships at current or former English Football League (EFL) clubs - and is also designed to assess other factors, including involvement in community or charity-based initiatives.
This accolade celebrates the holistic development of young players, a barometer which is also applied to the LFE Apprentice of the Year Awards presented at The EFL Awards dinner in April. England Under-20 World Cup winners Ademola Lookman (formerly Charlton Athletic), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (formerly Sheffield United) and Lewis Cook (formerly Leeds United) have all previously been named in ‘The 11’.
Everton forward Lookman and AFC Bournemouth midfielder Cook also went on to become Apprentice of the Year winners, as did Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) and Watford’s Ben Wilmot (formerly Stevenage), who were both featured prior to picking up the 2018 awards in the Sky Bet Championship and Sky Bet League Two, respectively.
Others to previously appear in this select group include Leeds United’s Jamie Shackleton, Swansea City striker Oli McBurnie (formerly Bradford City) and England Under-17 World Cup winners Steven Sessegnon (Fulham) and Billy Crellin (Fleetwood Town).
Vale is the first Young Brewer to appear in ‘The 11’ this season, which has also seen Academy graduate Joe Sbarra named in previous seasons.
Regional Officer Ian King said: “Ethan has been playing consistently well at Burton Albion since the start of 2019. He has created a number of goals through set piece delivery as well as scoring recently against Chesterfield.
“He is excelling in his education, with predicted grades of D*D*D*, and has also completed an A Level at home in his own time. He has a great attitude and displays superb application to the programme.”