Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace didn’t hold back in his admiration for 16-year-old Igor Tyjon after the forward made his senior debut in the Championship on Saturday.
Eustace handed Tyjon his first-ever appearance for Blackburn during their 3-0 home win over Bristol City. With the three points secured, the teenager was subbed on for double goalscorer Yuki Ohashi in the 89th minute. As a result, the England under-17 international became the club’s third youngest player ever.
Despite joining the Lancashire outfit from Rochdale a year ago, Tyjon has remained patient for his first Championship outing. In the latter stages of the 2023/24 season, the 16-year-old was an unused substitute during Rovers’ 5-0 loss at Bristol City and the 2-0 victory at Leicester.
Tyjon largely played in Blackburn’s under-18s team in last season’s campaign. However, he has made an impression on Eustace since the former Birmingham boss joined the Lancashire outfit in February this year.
👏 Congratulations to Igor Tyjon, who at 16 years and 178 days becomes the club’s third youngest-ever player and second youngest to make a league appearance.#ROVvBRC | #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/zW0TiMvJLU
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) September 14, 2024
Ultimately, the 44-year-old coach felt the young forward finally deserved his chance at Ewood Park last weekend. As reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, Eustace also praised Tyjon’s work ethic and ability but also urged patience towards the teenager’s development.
“Igor has been a standout young player since I have been at the football club. He had a fantastic pre-season. He’s just played for England in the week. I was delighted to give him his debut today. He has worked, very, very hard.
“He’s a 16-year-old boy and we have to remember that. He is certainly one for the future.”
Tyjon was rewarded with a scholar’s contract at Blackburn this summer following a strong 2023/24 season. The attacker scored twice in the under-21s win over Everton in the Premier League 2. In addition, he earned three caps for England and Poland under-16s, notching two goals for both countries, as recorded by the Blackburn Rovers’ official site.
Writer’s View
Tyjon’s debut is another big milestone for the talented forward. Moreover, Eustace clearly has great hopes for the 16-year-old and more opportunities may come throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
However, Eustace’s dampening of expectations is also sensible. Already, Tyjon has been linked loosely with a Premier League move, as reported by Alan Nixon in the summer but such a transfer seems somewhat unlikely at this stage. Despite his potential, Tyjon needs a lot more first-team experience to push on to any further level. Currently, the 16-year-old is well-placed to learn at the Championship level under a manager who backs him.
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