Last season was hugely productive for Alex Kirk, with the centre-back featuring prominently for Arsenal U23s despite still being eligible for the U18s, while he was also named as the club’s scholar of the year.
This campaign, in his first year as a fully-fledged member of the U23 squad, Kirk was aiming to push on further and become a hugely important figure for Kevin Betsy’s side.
However, after featuring early in the season, the youngster suffered an injury and he hasn’t been in action since August.
Kirk came close to a return at one stage as he trained with the first-team but he subsequently had a setback.
Now, though, the 19-year-old is hoping to be available to play again next month and his chances of receiving more game time for the U23s could be boosted by Omar Rekik’s call-up to represent Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the fact that Zane Monlouis is still out injured.
Kirk, who frequently trained with the first-team last season, is an impressive reader of the game and is composed in possession. It is anticipated that if he is able to enjoy a regular run of games over the next few months then Kirk could go out on loan next season in order to test himself in senior football for the first time.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
Make it so.
Great to see a defender coming through the youth ranks.
Give him the armband right now. No one has ever gotten the better of Cptn Kirk.
Jorge, any updates on Catalin Cirjan. There seemed to be big expectations surrounding him. Salah Oulad N’Hand seems to have surpassed him as one of the highly touted youth at the academy.