Five Premier League Wonderkids Who Failed To Live Up To Expectations (Part 2)

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3 years ago

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Following on from the first part in our series looking at wonderkids who failed to meet expectations, this week we list five more players whose careers did not take off.

The pressures of being a professional footballer mean it is not always straightforward for a player to realise their potential.

Distractions off the pitch, as well as injuries and other factors, can lead to a young player making the wrong decisions or simply being unable to play at a level that reflects their true ability.

Press the next page as we look at five more youngsters, tipped for great things, who never made it.

David Bentley (Arsenal, Blackburn and Tottenham)

The winger was once hailed as the ‘new David Beckham.’ He didn’t make the grade at Arsenal but began to show his true talent during a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Ewood Park on a permanent basis.

Bentley’s performances led to a switch to Spurs for £15m in 2008, which resulted in his career imploding. He went on four loan spells before calling it a day in 2014, citing the fact that he had fallen out of love with football.

Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal)

This one could be considered a bit harsh considering the striker has scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Denmark but he has never really shown his ability at club level.

Bendtner had a promising start at Arsenal, with a couple of decent loan spells at Birmingham and Sunderland, but he never became a regular starter. When he finally left the Emirates in 2014, his career went downhill, having brief spells at Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest and FC Copenhagen before retiring from professional football last year.

Freddie Sears (West Ham)

When the teenager scored five minutes into his first-team debut against Blackburn Rovers in 2007, many Hammers supporters were hoping they had a new goalscoring hero on their hands.

However, Sears scored just two more goals for West Ham in 58 appearances and, after four loan spells, he eventually left for Colchester. He has made a name for himself in the lower leagues over the years, having become a regular starter at Ipswich Town.

Josh McEachran (Chelsea)

The midfielder was once labelled the ‘English Xavi,’ due to his excellent passing range but, after five loan spells and making only 22 first-team appearances for the Blues, he joined Brentford in 2015.

McEachran did establish himself at the Bees, playing in the second tier, although he is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury.

Anderson (Manchester United)

The Red Devils spent £20m on the midfielder in 2007 but, despite making 181 appearances for the Manchester club, he scored just nine goals and never really lived up to his potential.

Anderson did win four Premier League titles and a Champions League during his time at Old Trafford but he was loaned out to Fiorentina in 2014 and returned to Brazil a year later before retiring at the age of just 31.