Breaking into a Premier League squad as a youngster is not an easy task, as we’ve seen at numerous clubs over the years.
This is a problem for clubs up and down the division, with even those lower down struggling to find first-team opportunities for their youngsters.
That was a situation Leo Østigård found himself in with Brighton and Hove Albion this summer. At 19-years-old, he needed regular game time to continue his development but was not going to get it at the Amex.
Like plenty of youngsters, then, he elected to head out on loan for a season, ultimately agreeing to join St Pauli in the 2.Bundesliga.
And, talking to Hamburger Abendblatt about his move, he says it was one done solely in search of regular football.
“It’s hard for a 19-year-old to play in the Premier League. That’s why I wanted to be loaned out,” he said.
“I knew that fantastic atmosphere (at St Pauli) and I knew that Mats Møller Dæhli plays here. He told me to come.”
Østigård is yet to get regular first-team football in Germany, having made two appearances in the 2.Bundesliga to date.
He’ll be hoping to establish himself in the team in the coming months, with the newspaper saying Brighton are keeping track of ‘exactly’ how their young star is developing.
Østigård is focused on this season and says any talk of the future will be left until the end of the campaign.
“The Second League has a good level and is interesting for me. What the future holds, you have to see after the season,” he added.
