2014 was not exactly kind to Isaac Hayden. The promising youngster, who can be deployed either at centre-back or as a defensive-midfielder, impressed against Southampton in the Capital One Cup, but missed the majority of the last few months of the year through injury.
The injury itself was frustrating enough, but what compounded Hayden’s agony was that it occurred at a time when the first-team were without several defenders, and the 19-year-old would almost certainly have added to his two senior appearances were he available at the time.
There is little time for Hayden to dwell on the past, however, as the new year is likely to bring with it new opportunities, and there is a strong possibility that the England U20 international will go out on loan at some point during this calendar year, although probably not until next season.
Hayden achieved a longstanding ambition of his by being officially promoted to the first-team squad, but he will still have to be patient before he is afforded opportunities to impress on a regular basis.
It may not seem an immediate priority at this stage of his career, but he would be helped by the club identifying his best position and deploying him there as often as possible. His performance in the aforementioned game against Southampton showed that he is more than capable of performing at centre-back, but it is in a deep-lying midfield position that he tends to thrive, as he can use his much-improved passing to good effect.
Hayden’s leadership qualities are also hugely impressive and his committed and determined approach has helped to convince Arsene Wenger that he could be an option for the future. The next few U21 fixtures will be used to help him work his way back towards full sharpness, whilst Hayden will continue to be on the periphery of the first-team squad and could feature in the latter rounds of the FA Cup should Arsenal progress.
In the event of another first-team injury crisis in defence, this time Hayden would be available to provide cover, but the likelihood is that he will have to wait until next season at least before being afforded a sustained opportunity to prove his worth in the first-team.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
He looked a good prospect, really want him to succeed with us. May he kick everyones arses for us for a long time for us.
I like him too and hope that he develops into a top defender.
But, we need someone now! We’ve known that we desperately need a CB for some months now, why isn’t a deal done? You don’t need to wait until January then think about looking at targets.
Look at Torres situation, Atletico wanted him so there were negotiations between them, Milan and Chelski so the deal could be signed and sealed on Jan 1st.
Arsene, look and learn!
If we did that the player would be crushed by a piano falling from the sky 5 minutes after he signed the paperwork.
Isn’t it weird how Torres is now an Atletico player, who was loaned from Milan, who got him on loan from Chelsea? How the f does that make sense? I’d like to take advantage of that buy forming a shadow company, taking great players on loan/transfer to my team, then loaning them to the Gunners. Oh wait… Lampard Seriously though, maybe stuff like this is okay in principal, but the practice of it recently is all a bit too ridiculous for me. Most blatantly with the Man City stuff. EPL fans could care fuck all for what Torres is doing,… Read more »
Timing of his injury was unfortunate. I felt he was as good in CD as Chambers. Maybe he would have helped us to get a few more points in d league
Hope he starts on Sunday. Really think he’s a good prospect.
He’s not ready. Starting him would probably just crock him again.
Wenger’s gonna persist with Chambers. He spent money on him therefore in his mind he has to justify playing him, regardless of performances or fatigue. And in the mean time, we’ll lose another great prospect…
That’s not why Chambers has been playing at all, there simply isn’t anyone else.
I think his injuries this season have proven he is ready for the first team….
Lol, brilliant mate.
Both Hayden and Chambers are possible candidates for the DM or at CBack. But they both need at very least two seasons to fully develop. Meanwhile in interim we will need to watch Metersceilny wear and tear. They are 30 and 29yrs respectively. I think Metersecker is good for at least 2 more seasons so its perfect timing to introduce another player in his prime (or close to) with ready made experience. As this player beds in, Metersecker can slowly wind down but add cover. Same in DM. I think the urgency in this area depends on whether Arteta is… Read more »
Impressive build for his age. And 19 is very young for a CB, so just calm down everyone.