Harry Redknapp’s six to follow in 2012 | The Sun |Sport|SunSport Columnists
Interesting!!
SOME wonderful young talents have broken through to light up the Premier League in 2011 — and I'm hoping that next year will be just as productive.
There's a lot of great young kids around but for every Phil Jones or Jack Wilshere there are dozens more hot prospects who don't live up to expectations.
One of the most exciting youngsters causing a stir is a left-sided attacker at Manchester United called Ravel Morrison.
By all accounts he really is something special.
But search the internet for details of his career so far and you'll probably come up with more about the lad's ability to get himself into trouble.
I just hope Morrison sorts himself out because there is nothing worse than seeing great talent wasted.
The problem with so many young players today is they sign a contract with a Premier League club at 17 and think they've cracked it.
But that is when the hard work is just beginning. And if you don't have character to go with natural talent, you've got no chance.
The rewards for being a Premier League footballer are there for all to see — big houses, fast cars, diamond earrings and all the attention you could want.
But this game demands commitment, discipline and big sacrifices.
For me, it's a no-brainer that someone being paid more in a week than his parents could hope to earn in a year should be prepared to give up the nights out with his mates in return for a fabulous lifestyle.
That's why predicting which young players are going to make it big is always such a risky business.
As well as the obvious distractions off the field, there is also the risk of injury derailing a player's progress.
Plus there's the problem of giving kids enough first-team action without damaging your team's prospects.
A lot of people slag off the Europa League but it was a real opportunity for lads like Danny Rose, Andros Townsend, Harry Kane and Tom Carroll to gain valuable experience.
Now we are out of Europe, I will be looking to loan some of these lads out in the New Year, so they can get the competitive football they just can't get playing in the reserves.
But here are my six players to look out for in 2012.
Hopefully, they will all live up to my expectations and make our game even more exciting in the New Year.
Ravel Morrison, Man United
RAVING ABOUT HIM ... Morrison has the pundits purring
THIS lad could be the great success story of 2012 — or the saddest waste of talent.
All the talk out of United is this 18-year-old wide player is the best young talent to emerge from the club's academy since Paul Scholes, and that really is saying something.
But it seems there is a major problem with his attitude. So much so they're not even sure if he they will be giving him a new contract at Old Trafford in the summer.
He's already had a couple of run-ins with the law and a lot of people at the club are questioning his desire to become a top professional.
But Alex Ferguson raves about this lad whenever I talk to him. And if anyone can sort Morrison out, then it's Fergie.
I don't know the kid and he's only made a couple of Carling Cup appearances but I really hope he can sort himself out and fulfil everyone's expectations of him.
James McClean, Sunderland
CAT TO THE FUTURE ... McClean can make the grade
THE first I knew of McClean was when he came on as a sub during Martin O'Neill's first game in charge of Sunderland.
He's a good, old-fashioned left winger who gets the crowd excited as soon as he gets the ball and whips in just the sort of crosses a striker like Nicklas Bendtner needs.
Steve Bruce took a punt on McClean in the summer and paid £350,000 to sign him from Derry City when other Premier League clubs hesitated.
At 22, he's not exactly a kid. But he will really benefit if John Robertson — one of the finest wingers of all time — follows his old pal O'Neill to Sunderland to become one of his coaches.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal
LION HEART ... Oxlade-Chamberlain is an outside bet for Euros
I KNOW he's already made quite an impact but I reckon we'll see a lot more of this lad in 2012.
The comparisons with Theo Walcott are obvious because they both came from Southampton. But Ox has the potential to be even better because he's bigger and stronger than Theo.
One of his coaches at Southampton even told me he thought he'd end up playing in central midfield.
Because his dad, Mark, was a top pro in his time, Alex has been brought up the right way and I'm told he's a very level-headed lad.
I'm sure Fabio Capello is monitoring his progress with an eye to taking him to the Euros.
Steven Caulker, Tottenham/Swansea
WHAT A CAULKER ... Steven has the bottle
I'VE got big plans for this boy when he returns from his loan spell at Swansea in the summer.
A lot of people probably don't even realise he's a Spurs player because he's been away at Yeovil, Bristol City and now Swansea in the last few years.
We're not short of central defenders at the moment but Steven doesn't turn 20 until next week and we've had great reports on his progress.
He injured a knee a month after moving to Wales and that kept him out for the best part of three months.
But it's no coincidence that Swansea have not conceded a goal in three games since his return.
Ross Barkley, Everton
ROSS THE BOSS ... Barkley has made an instant impression
GOODISON has a long tradition for producing great young kids — and here's another who will be something special.
Andy Holden, the reserve-team boss at Everton, tells me that every Premier League club has been aware of Barkley's emergence for ages. So it's no surprise that the club have just got him to commit to a new long-term contract.
And he couldn't have a better boss than David Moyes to bring him through.
Just turned 18, he's played only a handful of games. But you have to remember he was out for nearly a year after breaking his leg with the England Under-20s.
Jordan Rhodes, Huddersfield
RHODES TO GLORY ... Jordan is on the up
LEE CLARK will do really well to hold on to him in the transfer window.
Four hat-tricks already this season — including four goals at Sheffield Wednesday this month — has made a lot of Premier League clubs take note.
Goalscoring is a natural talent, it's not something you can learn. You're born with it or you're not and Rhodes was clearly born with it.
Quick, strong, good in the air and a natural finisher. The only question is whether he can do it in the top flight?
Ipswich must be kicking themselves for selling him two years ago but I'm told Roy Keane couldn't give him a regular place in his team without hindering the development of Connor Wickham.
