Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Exclusive: 'You Could Say Making Your Premier League Debut At 22 Is Late... I've Taken A Different Path'

“You could say making your Premier League debut at 22 is quite late, but I've taken a different pathway. I'm so happy I did it."

It was a process that helped define Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. 

A loan spell in England's second-tier has allowed some of the country's brightest talents to realise their full potential of late. Mason Mount, Emile Smith Rowe and Conor Gallagher are prime examples of youngsters honing their craft at Championship level before going on to establish themselves in the Premier League and beyond.

The names go on. Liverpool playmaker Harvey Elliott flourished at Blackburn and Trevoh Chalobah picked up valuable experience at Huddersfield before going on to play for European champions Chelsea, not to mention Marc Guehi and Leeds loanee Ben White, who ‘cried for an hour’ after being called up to play for England at Euro 2020. 

In fact, out of the 26-man Three Lions squad that made it to the European Championship final against Italy last year, a total of 23 either made their debut in EFL competition or played in an EFL academy - a stat that should give you some indication of how important the second tier has become. 

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will be hoping to one day fall under that bracket after flourishing away from parent club Leicester City. He spent the 2020/21 campaign at Championship side Luton Town after a six month spell in League One with Blackpool, where he quickly became a fan favourite. 

In those key periods of development, the midfielder was thrust into a new environment with experienced professionals and was able to adapt to his surroundings quickly. Looking back, he understands how important a loan move has been in his career to date. 

This, however, is not a career pathway for everyone. Some have failed