by Brain Traysers »
25 Apr 2019 18:44
While both currently youngsters, I don't think a comparison between the current Novakovich and the current Loader is fair.
We shouldn't forget when Novakovich was 19 he was loaned out to Cheltenham in the Conference for an initial month, and didn't warrant an extension from his 4 appearances. At a year younger than that the consensus appears to be that Loader currently looks below championship level, with flashes of potential - lots on here think a goal could make a big difference to getting him settled following the big step up from youth/u23 football. If we did loan him out, it would certainly be above Conference level. At his age a year of physical growth can make a huge difference - at the extreme end of hot prospects, Moise Kean went from a solid 4 goals in 20 games last season as an 18 year old at Verona, bulked up over the summer and has now scored 7 in 12 league games for Juve, not looking out of place.
While he has scored some goals out in Holland, those leagues are notoriously hard to judge (Ajax's Champions League performances aside). Lots of players with much better records there never make the grade in 'top' leagues, and lower Eredivsie teams are probably closer to League 1 than Championship. Anyone expecting Novakovich to be an above average striker next season given significant gametime is very optimistic IMO.
I think Loader will get a good chance in the last 2 games, and finally he can feature in games without any pressure for results. He will still be young next season so I don't see the rush to decide his future right now.