Jon Russell has been little short of a revelation for Huddersfield Town since breaking into the first team midway through this season. Having got a brief cameo against West Brom in November, the midfielder impressed in his first start for Carlos Corberan’s side in the FA Cup at Burnley in January and starred again in the next round against Barnsley the following month.
A week later, Russell started his first Championship game against Sheffield United, having a goal harshly disallowed in a goalless draw. He has not been out of the starting line-up in the league since then.
So what is it that has made the 21 year old so indispensable? When we asked Corberan about it early on in Russell’s meteoric rise from B team football to key first team player, one word stood out: calm.
Russell is one of those rare talents – particularly for his age – who is seemingly absolutely unflappable. No matter the opposition, no matter the occasion, the 6’4” powerhouse is able to keep his wits about him. Watching him play, you get the distinct impression of a player who is seeing the game unfold in slow motion; like he has tapped into football’s Matrix and learned the secrets of bullet time.
Never was that more evident than in his sumptuous goal against Huddersfield’s upcoming play-off opponents Luton Town last month. Running onto a throw-in from Pipa just inside the Luton box, Russell unleashed a sumptuous lob to the far top corner. In its delicate technique and quick-wittedness, it unfolded like something the similarly sangfroid Dennis Bergkamp might have done for Ajax or Arsenal once upon a time.
Russell chuckles when asked to talk us through his effort, saying: “That’s probably my favourite and best goal, you know. From the throw-in I just
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