“If you are good enough you are old enough” is a statement that is often banded about in professional support and Alan Tate says that it was an ethos drummed into him in his younger days at Old Trafford and one that stays with him today.
And it was that philosophy that led to the Swans caretaker manager introducing 16 year old Ben Lloyd into the fray yesterday evening as the Swans continued their pre-season build up with a 2-1 win at Forest Green Rovers.
A graduate of the Swans academy it was quite the moment for Lloyd but nobody would have quite anticipated what happened next and there would have been a huge smile on the face of Tate as he watched the 16 year old’s first touch allow him to control the ball and the second to despatch it into the back of the net.
It was quite the introduction to first team for Lloyd and one that certainly proves a philosophy that was taught to Tate at a young age himself.
“That’s what is great about young players. They excite you and they will climb a mountain for you,” Tate told the official site after the game
“My background as a player was at Manchester United where there was an ethos that if you are good enough you are old enough, and no matter what I do that is always something I will stick by.
“He did well tonight and it was a good little 20-minute cameo for him.
“He is a good player and a good lad, and I am sure he will not sleep tonight!
“He is someone I have known since he was 14 and he has always had ability.
“Before he came on I told him to go on and enjoy himself, and to do the things he has been doing for the under-18s and under-23s.”
