St Mirren Academy director Allan McManus believes former midfield duo Ethan Erhahon and Dylan Reid have set the benchmark for the Paisley club’s aspiring youngsters.
And McManus believes talented 21-year-old Erhahon has plenty more levels to reach in him yet after hitting the ground running at Lincoln City.
The midfielder made the switch to the English League One side in January after racking up more than 100 appearances for the Buddies and has quickly settled into his new team – picking up back-to-back man-of-the-match awards in his first two matches.
Former Hearts defender McManus feels people underestimate just how hard it is for young players to break into a Premiership starting XI and stay there.
And he’s convinced Erhahon can follow in the footsteps of the likes of fellow Ralston academy graduates John McGinn and Kenny McLean and play his way up to the English top flight.
Speaking exclusively to Renfrewshire Live Sport, McManus said: “First and foremost, Ethan was absolutely fantastic for St Mirren.
“He’s a real role model for every player in our academy and he’s set the benchmark for what we’re trying to achieve here.
“Breaking into a first team at this level is so difficult but he earned his stripes, played more than 100 games and then earned his move away which benefits both him and the club.
“People don’t understand how difficult it is to build up that amount of games for a young player, particularly for a Premiership club that was pushing for the top-six every season.
“His consistency here was unbelievable and he’s went down there and hit the ground running, which is no surprise to us at all.
“We all know he’s a very talented midfielder and this can be a stepping stone to something even better for him.
“He absolutely has another level or two to go. I’ve no doubt he’ll go higher because he’s incredibly talented and he has a brilliant attitude.
“He’s in the biggest shop window in the world and if he keeps working hard I’ve no doubt he’ll move up the leagues in England.”
Erhahon wasn’t the only academy jewel to be prised away in January, with young St Mirren starlet Reid also making a switch down south to join English Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Still just 18, Reid has made the move away sooner than his former team-mate Erhahon and doesn’t have the amount of first-team experience behind him after making sporadic appearances in the black and white stripes.
McManus is still very confident Reid will eventually break into the Eagles first team, having been blown away by his attitude and desire while working with the Scotland Under-19s star at Ralston.
McManus said: “I’m so pleased for Dylan. He’s only just turned 18 but his commitment and his mindset are simply phenomenal.
“He has every attribute a modern footballer needs and most importantly he is absolutely obsessed with getting better every single day.
“He still has a lot of learning to do but I’m convinced he’ll keep doing everything he needs to be the best player he can be.
“Hopefully we’ll see him make his first team debut soon and I’ve no doubt he’ll be a success down there.
“He’s a very, very good footballer and physically he’s developed a lot. You put the self-belief and the work ethic on top of that and you’ve got the whole package.”
Despite helping both Reid and Erhahon develop all the way up through the St Mirren Academy, McManus insisted the pair’s moves were only made possible because of the hard work they consistently put in in Paisley.
McManus added: “All the club can do is create an environment for the players to learn and develop.
“Ethan and Dylan’s moves are down to them, the countless hours of practice they put in and they’re both a credit to this football club.”
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