More Than The Score - How to develop a football prodigy

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Some of the most exciting footballers in the world right now are still teenagers. Lamine Yamal has already won La Liga twice with Barcelona and the European Championship with Spain; 17-year-old Lennart Karl has scored in the Champions League and the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich; and Max Dowman has already made his Premier League debut for Arsenal, despite only being 15 years old.

But how do big clubs make sure their young talents fulfil their potential, both on and off the pitch? What are the signs that a teenager's ready to make the step up to first team football, and how do a club's staff help players who are still children face the challenges of a professional career?

Huw Jennings has spent more than 25 years working in youth development, as academy director at Southampton and now head of football development at Premier League side Fulham. In that time, he's worked with the likes of Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana; in his current role, he's also helped oversee the development of one of the Premier League's most exciting prospects, Josh King.

The BBC's Ed Harry and John Bennett talk to Huw about one of the biggest responsibilities in modern football. He explains how clubs develop players from childhood to adulthood, and the personal qualities that top clubs look for when assessing a young player's potential. He also shares his experiences of what happens when players don't make the grade - how can you support a teenager when things don't go to plan? And he also explains why 'wonderkid' isn't a term he's keen on using.

More than the Score is the BBC World Service's daily podcast exploring stories from all over the world of sport. Every Monday to Friday, we're telling stories beyond the scoreline, from tennis to football, boxing to bobsleigh, and rugby league to the NFL. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like pole vault titan Mondo Duplantis, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and tennis legend Boris Becker, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from top football scouts to physios who keep NBA stars in peak condition. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.

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Published on Tuesday, 4th November 2025.

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