Reaction to the England call-up
United manager Greg Abbott gave us his reaction to this week's call-up to the England U19 squad for first-year professional Brad Potts.
"We know where Brad is in terms of how he can play at the moment and we know what he needs to do to improve, but this is good news for everybody" he said.
"The call-up is a fantastic achievement for him. It’s a pat on the back for Eric [Kinder], for the football club, for his family and for Brad himself that this has happened.
"The danger sign for me is that we don’t let him get carried away. I’ve worked with a lot of people who have played at U19 level and it happens because England want to see who can cope."
"I’ve already spoken to Brad about this because it’s important that we all work together to keep his feet on the ground," he added. "We want him to go on from this and get a full cap. Then another one. And then another one. Then we can say that he’s made it.
"Having said all of that we’re delighted for him and it is a tremendous achievement."
And on his recent form, he said: "We know the work he has done already and we have to make sure he doesn’t get carried away with good performances and that he doesn’t beat himself up when it’s a below-par performance.
"We like the way he plays and we like the type of character he is. The key to me is to keep him level-headed and focused on what he has to do going forward.
"He did a good job in probably the most difficult situation he will come across this season on Tuesday night. It was a local derby with a big crowd and against tough opposition, and I thought he coped admirably.
"It's that kind of thing which has got him recognised and, like I say, we're all delighted for him."
