Derby County youngster Jason Knight has been recognised by the League Football Education and has been named in ‘The 11’ for June.
Promising midfielder Knight has enjoyed tremendous success on the pitch this season, contributing to Derby’s Under-18 Premier League North and National titles.
The 18-year-old was rewarded with a spot on the bench for the Rams’ Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg at Leeds United and Play-Off Final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, while he has also captained the Republic of Ireland at Under-18 level and was recently selected for the ongoing Under-21 Toulon Tournament.
Derby’s Head of Education & Welfare Simon Ord told LFE: “Jason has been a delight to work with in every aspect of his apprenticeship and has proved to be an invaluable character both on and off the pitch.
“He has achieved over his target grade of MM, gaining a DM for his BTEC and also completing functional skills Maths and English at the first time of asking.
“He is a classic low maintenance player who has total commitment and dedication to his profession, which has been rewarded with a new two-year professional contract. Jason has got fully involved in all our community engagement work and is a natural leader in all disciplines.”
‘The 11’ acknowledges the football and academic progress of Under-18 players on apprenticeships at current or former English Football League (EFL) clubs - and is also designed to assess other factors, including involvement in community or charity-based initiatives.
This accolade celebrates the holistic development of young players, a barometer which is also applied to the LFE Apprentice of the Year Awards presented at The EFL Awards dinner in April. England Under-20 World Cup winners Ademola Lookman (formerly Charlton Athletic), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (formerly Sheffield United) and Lewis Cook (formerly Leeds United) have all previously been named in ‘The 11’.
Everton forward Lookman and AFC Bournemouth midfielder Cook also went on to become Apprentice of the Year winners, as did Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) and Watford’s Ben Wilmot (formerly Stevenage), who were both featured prior to picking up the 2018 awards in the Sky Bet Championship and Sky Bet League Two, respectively.
Meanwhile, all three apprentices to triumph at the EFL Awards this season – Max Bird (Derby County), Daniel Adshead (Rochdale AFC) and Arthur Iontton (Stevenage) – were also previously named in The 11.
The 11 – June 2019:
- Zach Jeacock (Birmingham City)
- Tom Dickens (Cambridge United)
- Noah Chilvers (Colchester United)
- Rio Adebisi (Crewe Alexandra)
- Jason Knight (Derby County)
- Charlie Cresswell (Leeds United)
- George Alexander (Millwall)
- Scott Pollock (Northampton Town)
- Arvin Appiah (Nottingham Forest)
- Ryan Campbell-Gordon (Port Vale)
- Scott Smith (Wigan Athletic)
LFE chief executive Sarah Stephen added: “The 11 is directly associated with apprentice reviews that are conducted by our regional officers throughout the season. It is a great way to highlight the achievements and progression of talented young footballers who apply themselves to all aspects of their apprenticeship.”
For more information on the LFE, head over to LFE.org.uk.
