Matty Young has made quite the impression between the sticks for Salford City! We caught up with local journalist Ed Hayton, who covers their games for SalfordNow, PA and more, to give his honest assessment about the teenager.
Young has kept seven clean sheets in nine League Two games, just how good has he been for Salford this season?
He has been tremendous for Salford this season, and it is no coincidence that since he broke into the starting side in December, the club has risen from mid-table into the League Two play-off positions. Aside from being a fantastic shot-stopper, he commands his box aggressively and looks assured, claiming crosses into the penalty area, which takes loads of pressure off the defence.
Is he your out-and-out number one now?
Yes, he’s definitely proven himself to be Karl Robinson’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Jamie Jones, and he could start every Salford game from now until the end of the season.
He conceded eight against Man City. Granted, none of them were his fault but has that seemed to knock his confidence or anything like that?
Although Salford are yet to shake the hangover from a heavy defeat against Man City and underperformed in their 2-0 loss against Fleetwood on Saturday, Young could not be blamed for either goal. There were no signs that his confidence had been dented, and I think he’ll continue to be one of the team’s standout performers.
What are his biggest strengths and weaknesses?
I have been impressed by his handling and ability to make routine saves without a fuss - he’s a sound catcher of the ball and rarely gives attackers a chance to score on the rebound. Having only conceded three goals across seven league matches, he’s yet to show any apparent signs of weakness. However, it’s difficult to assess how good his distribution is and whether he would be technically good enough with the ball at his feet to be successful at a high level.
He's only 18 and for young lads it can be hard to go out on loan to a different part of the country, particularly goalkeepers. How has he settled in?
Young seems to have settled into life at Salford really well, and it looks like he’s growing in confidence with every game. Being the club’s second-choice goalkeeper for a little while may have done him a world of good, as it gave him a bedding-in-period to adjust to before being thrown into the deep end.
Do you think he could compete with Anthony Patterson for Sunderland's number one jersey next season?
If Sunderland are still in the Championship next season and Matty enjoys a strong end to the campaign with Salford, I think he can offer some competition for Patterson’s number-one spot. He appears to be too good for League Two and there's no glaring reason why he wouldn’t cut it in the second tier. Even at his age!
