Over the past decade, the Football League Young Player of the Year award has proven to be the first major accolade of a number of players who have gone on to establish themselves at a high level. Gareth Bale is the most notable past winner, with the Welsh winger now in his second season with Real Madrid, but Fabian Delph, Nathaniel Clyne and Wilfried Zaha are other examples of players who have impressed during their time below the top flight.
Patrick Bamford, Nathan Redmond and Dele Alli have emerged as candidates for the 2015 award, with the victor being announced in London on Sunday evening. Below, Sports Mole takes a look at each player and assesses whether they are likely to be recognised as the 10th winner of the award.
1. Patrick Bamford
© Getty Images
Club: Middlesbrough
Age: 21
Football League appearances: 36
Football League goals: 16
After successful loan spells at MK Dons and Derby County, forward Patrick Bamford was hot property when Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho revealed that he was willing to loan the 21-year-old out to a Championship club for the season. Many of the division's top clubs were interested, but after weeks of speculation, he finally penned a deal with Middlesbrough, who have loaned several Blues starlets over the past 18 months.
It wasn't necessarily sink or swim time for the England Under-21 international, but this wasn't just his time to spend another campaign playing first-team football. He needed to impress the main men at Stamford Bridge, and although he got off to a slow start, his impact at the Riverside Stadium has reportedly resulted in a long-term contract awaiting him upon his return to West London.
During the first half of the season, Bamford struggled for consistency, with a run of six goals in seven matches coming in the middle of two spells where he barely troubled goalkeepers, but the England Under-21 international has really prospered since the turn of the year, scoring 11 times in his last 18 appearances in all competitions.
The highlight probably came at the Etihad Stadium where Bamford netted during Middlesbrough's 2-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup, but it's his contribution in the league that has attracted admirers, whether that be Boro's fans or rival managers looking to tempt him into leaving Chelsea. One side of his game that could improve is his strike-rate away from home, but that's a minor blot on an eight-month spell in the North-East that makes him favourite to win this award at the weekend.
2. Nathan Redmond
© Getty Images
Club: Norwich City
Age: 21
Football League appearances: 40
Football League goals: 3
It's been almost five years since Nathan Redmond made his senior debut for Birmingham City as a 16-year-old, but the winger, now at Norwich City, has developed into one of English football's brightest talents and a season away from the Premier League has done the 21-year-old more good than harm.
Because of his sudden emergence at St Andrew's, the pressure has always been on Redmond, but despite progressing nicely at Birmingham and during his first year at Carrow Road, he needed the opportunity to earn starts on a consistent basis in a team that placed more focus on attack and winning games rather than scrapping for points in the top flight.
Norwich began the season poorly, but their improvements, especially under Alex O'Neil, have done wonders for Redmond's game and he is a player full of confidence ahead of the final weeks of the season. His finishing still requires some work - he has netted just three times this season and just 13 in four full years as a professional - but he has created over 100 chances during this campaign alone and he is one of the main reasons why Norwich are three wins away from the Premier League.
The final three matches could define the club's season, but from an individual perspective, Redmond will head into the summer linked with lucrative moves to the top sides in the Premier League as well as being a major player for England in the European Under-21 Championship, and while he could be considered as the outsider for Sunday's award, this could be the year that helps Redmond progress into a Premier League player for years to come.
3. Dele Alli
© Getty Images
Club: MK Dons
Age: 19
Football League appearances: 35
Football League goals: 15
Like Redmond, Dele Alli first burst onto the scene at the age of 16, making an immediate impression at MK Dons as the club looked to continue their progression into the Championship. Promotion is yet to materialise, but the League One outfit has provided the setting for the development of a player who is already held in high regard in English football.
After signing for Tottenham Hotspur in January for a fee in excess of £5m, his future is at White Hart Lane, but spending a second full season in familiar surroundings has ensured that his progress hasn't come to a halt in the reserves at Spurs. Injury has restricted Alli to just eight appearances since signing with the North London club, but you need to look at his campaign as a whole to see why so much fuss is being made of the England Under-19 international.
Alli's first season was spent in and out of the side, but the second has seen him handed more responsibility by manager Karl Robinson and he has flourished in his midfield role. Alongside Benik Afobe, for the first half of the season at least, and Will Grigg, Alli has played a major role in the club's promotion campaign, with his 15 goals helping the club to third spot in the table, just three points behind second-placed Preston North End.
As well as his high-profile transfer, the highlight of Alli's season will be his hat-trick against Crewe Alexandra in September, his second in the space of six months after previously netting a treble against Notts County. After turning 19 last Saturday, all of his success has come at the age of 18, and regardless of whether MK Dons finally earn promotion to the Championship, this has been a phenomenal season for the teenager and he has every chance of being crowned as the Football League Young Player of the Year on Sunday.
Darren Plant
