One of the most common pitfalls of youth football lies in the over-reliance on players who have developed physically at a faster rate than the rest of their peers. Stick a big lad up front, another one at the back and you are guaranteed that your side will over-power most of the teams it comes across.

In such teams, it is inevitable that the tall players will look as if they're the special ones. That, however, will only be the case until the rest catch up with them. Once size is no longer an advantage, their superiority vanishes and their lack of skill - often a by-product of such systems that favour brawn over brains - will kill off their progress.

It is why there is so much importance being placed on letting children develop their technical abilities before anything else: it is only once there is a good foundation in place that one can really start to talk about tactics and positions on the pitch. In reality, there isn't a fixed point during a player's development where the focus should shift away from his technique.

Many of those who watched Andre Wisdom at the recent European Under 17 championships were impressed by the confidence with which the central defender played with the ball at his feet. Rather than simply lumping it forward or passing it to the nearest midfielder, Wisdom often moved out of defence with the ball at his feet something that added a different dimension to the side.

Wisdom has always been that sort of defender but these past twelve months have seen a significant development in that part of his game. And it hasn't been accidental. Indeed, for most of the academy season, Wisdom played more often on the right hand side or the centre of midfield than he did at the heart of defence. It was a good move for there were few doubts that, physically, he could more than handle himself at the back. After all, this was a player who had played against players two years his senior in the previous year's run to the final of the FA Youth Cup. The risk was that Wisdom would end up relying too much on his strength and speed to get out of trouble which is why playing in midfield was so important: it allowed him to develop a different side of his game but also one that gave him a better perspective of what happens higher up the pitch. That he never looked out of position was simply an added bonus.

Indeed, it is hard not to be excited with a player like Wisdom. For he is someone who, on the face of it, he has all the ingredients needed to become a huge player. He not only has raw athleticism - pace and physical strength - in abbundance but also knows how to read the game, is very vocal, tactically is very aware and can pick a pass or two.

There is, of course, much that needs to be done. It remains to be seen, for instance, how he reacts when faced by strikers who are as strong - if not stronger - than he is. Or far more experienced and ready to pounce on the little mistakes that remain in his game. But the way he reacted to scoring an own-goal in the final of the European championships was highly indicative: whereas others might have had their confidence shot, Wisdom simply stepped up a gear and went on to score the equaliser. With an attitude like that on top of everything that he has going for him, it is hard to see him failing.