Huddersfield Town’s Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill tipped to make it to the top

In recent seasons, Huddersfield Town have become a bit of a testing ground for exciting young English talent. Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe had an exciting loan spell at the Kirklees Stadium in 2020, teaming up with Trevoh Chalobah, who has recently pushed his way into the Chelsea line-up, where he plays alongside another former Town loanee, Ben Chilwell. Danny Drinkwater went on to win the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016.

Others, inevitably, have disappointed – if they were cast-iron certainties, they would not have been sent on loan.

But even just 11 games into his senior career, Chelsea’s Colwill already looks more likely to be a hit than a miss, defending with an assurance which belies his 18 years.

For anyone to be a regular in the heart of defence in the rugged Championship, they must be pretty special – and the Terriers have conceded just 10 goals in those 11 games.

“He’s a very young player with a lot of things he is doing fantastically, and other things he needs to continue improving,” said coach Corberan.

“My selection is never dependent on the player, it’s on the team. If he’s in my team it’s because I think he has the skills to help the team in that position.

“I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future.

“I am seeing a player with a lot of potential and a lot of personality.

“Football is like life, everything can change so I cannot talk about the future, I can only talk about the past. I always think he’s developed many of the skills to play a high level of football since he started training with us.

“The demands are always greater when you step up a level but I am seeing him develop in a very good way. Some of the things I saw from him before he started working with us. I am watching a player with a fast-growing development. Some players need more time for this process to make the transition from academy football to a high level of (senior) football.

“Some players take more time to do it.

“Colwill is adapting well to senior football and I feel in another year he will have grown even more than he has done right now.”

Nevertheless, he does still have his L plates on, and the fact he missed out on one of the biggest tests of this Championship season – at leaders Bournemouth – because he had totted up too many yellow cards (five) was a lesson to learn from.

“Every game can give you a message you can use to improve as a team and as a player,” said Corberan.

“The more you play, the more messages you receive and the more messages you have to continue growing as a player.”

The signs are promising, though, that he can turn into a pretty special one.