Manchester City’s powerful transfer resources at the hands of owner and ex Thailand Prime Minister Taxin Shinawatra have not gone unnoticed this season. However, possibly one of City’s real assets may have.
Javan Vidal, a current Manchester City reserve player has all the talent needed to progress into the first team and cause quite a stir. Now 19 Javan has always been the centre of attention in every team he has played in, from his local club Stretford Victoria to his current side Manchester City.
He has been used in a number of different positions since playing for City but has always maintained an eye for goal, something that his early goal scoring history would clearly suggest. Javan first became noticed as a sensation at his primary school Gorse Hill, he scored an impressive 40 goals in his last year there when he was just 11 years old. This record broke the long standing achievement held by John Sheridan. He scored 32 goals in a season, a former pupil at Gorse Hill and former player at Sheffield Wednesday.
Javan continued to play as a Striker for his secondary school team Knutsford High, he also played primarily as a Striker but occasionally as a Central Midfielder for his first and only Sunday league club Stretford Victoria. Javan spent 7 years at “Vic’s”, starting out at the age of 6 continuing to be an integral part to his team’s success for many years. One of his fondest memories from his time at Vic’s came when we was awarded the golden boot award at “The Umbro Tournament” based in Manchester in 2001. With teams participating from around the globe he scored 7 goals in 5 matches, reaching the final of the tournament against an unknown Romanian team. Unfortunately he and his side were not victorious, however Javan’s immediate future seemed much to celebrate.
Following his personal success at the Umbro tournament Javan received confirmation regarding a scout from Manchester City being interested in offering him a trial at the academy. Having been delighted with the opportunity Javan knew this couldn’t be wasted, preparing for his important trial match he admitted it was impossible to stay completely calm. During his match Javan felt confident in his own ability and maintained focus, capping off his performance with a goal. Although it was not to be for the then 13 year old, he wasn’t kept on and returned to play for Vic’s. This sparked a drive of motivation by Javan, to see his chance disappear to play at the highest level was not an option. Leading by example captaining his Stretford Victoria side it wasn’t long before he caught the eye of Len Davis, another Manchester City scout. This time Javan made an outstanding impression in his second trial game. He was then offered a further 4 week trial before official signing a youth contract, reviewed after a year to determine an extension or not.
13 year old Javan enjoyed playing as Striker for the under 15’s at City. He played in the “Nike Tournament” eventually won by his team beating Manchester United in the final. He also played against the likes of Brazilian team Corinthians and Barcelona of Spain. Having been kept on and approaching 18 Javan was offered a professional contract with a monthly wage, he signed for one year to play in the under 19’s. Instantly impressing he was soon playing in Manchester City’s reserve team, making his debut against Leeds reserves in 2006 when he was 17. International recognition was also on the cards for Javan, he was called up to play in a friendly against France for the under 18’s, starting at Right Back. With his sharp pace, strength and deft control, he has played as a Right Back, Centre Back but predominantly as a Right Winger under City reserves Coach Ian Miller.
Javan has shown to be the epitome of natural talent and hard work, surely one day leading him to achieve his overall goal of earning his chance in the first team. Although in February this season having sustained a major injury with torn knee ligaments Javan is now close to full recovery and can’t wait to be back training. With regular chats for guidance with close friend Micah Richards and first team coach Sven Goren Eriksson, Javan feels he can only continue the good work he has shown since his arrival at City as a raw 13 year old. Putting pressure on the first team players is Javan’s job, with the vast amounts of money available for transfers at Manchester City he will need to prove his worth immediately in finding a place in the first 11. Players such as Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha and Michael Johnson have made the leap from the youth system to the first team, history would suggest Javan can and may just do the same.
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