Darren Moore Huddersfield youngster has won over seniors’

Michael Stone has earned the respect of Huddersfield Town’s senior players, according to Darren Moore, and the Terriers boss is looking forward to other players following in his footsteps.

The 19-year-old midfielder has been an unused replacement for the previous two weekends, and with the busy holiday season approaching, a senior debut could be on the horizon.

Moore said Stone impressed the club’s senior players when he went up to first-team training after joining Town’s B team from Stoke City in 2020.

“He’s got an incredible desire, temperament, and self-confidence,” said Moore, who began his coaching career in West Bromwich Albion’s academy.

“He is incapable of doing enough. He prioritises others over himself and is willing to put in the effort.

“He’s got a wonderful story and a lot of energy.” He’s got a pass in him, and he’s happy to break play up and unload the ball, and once he’s done one thing, he does another.

“If he starts an attack, he wants to be on the receiving end of it.”

He’s made the first team, and the seniors admire him as a person and a player. It’s a nice trait to have when you watch him blend in with the group as quickly as he has. I had no reservations about putting him in the squad.

“You want to give young players a chance, and as a manager, I’m not afraid to throw young players in because I believe that if they’re right, it’s right.”

“We treat them like first-team players.” I don’t talk any differently to a Danny Ward than I do to a Stoney.”

Following the B-team trial, owner Kevin Nagle is restructuring Huddersfield’s academy along more traditional lines, and the flow of young players into the main squad is critical to his vision for the club.

“We’ve got the (B-team players) quite close to us here so it gives us an opportunity (to integrate them) and we speak with the B-team manager Jon Worthington on a daily basis,” Moore went on to say. “They’ve sat on the bench and trained on and around the pitch.”

“The mental cycle goes up a level, which encourages the performance that goes to the next level.”