Boss expects a ‘whole new character’ from Shrewsbury Town loanee determined to kick on

Michael Golding was highly rated by Mauricio Pochettino and carries a multi-million-pound price tag. Now, he will look to kick on at Shrewsbury Town.

The 20-year-old has had limited senior football in recent years since moving to Leicester City from Chelsea for a reported £4 million. His only senior appearance for the Foxes came in the Premier League in May last year.

That followed a single first-team appearance for boyhood club Chelsea under Pochettino in the FA Cup, and Town boss Gavin Cowan is excited by the potential of his new midfield loanee.

“Absolutely,” he said. “At the end of the day, you are where you are now. Whatever has happened in the past and happens in the future, you are where you are now. You have to prove that.

“I won’t go too much on that. But I’ve seen the player live a few times now, I’ve seen him in clips, I speak to a lot of people, he’s certainly a player that just needs that opportunity to really kick on. So, we want to give him that.”

The move to Salop marks the first loan spell of Golding’s career, with the midfielder yet to establish himself in senior football. He will now hope to gain valuable game time and experience in the EFL with Town.

The 20-year-old has represented England from under-16 to under-19 level, while Cowan has also praised his ambition to kick on.

“He’s such a lovely, humble, grounded lad,” the Town boss added. “He just wants to come and do well, he wants to stick his neck out and be shot at.

“He could easily comfortably sit at Leicester and enjoy the remainder of his contract and try and earn something there with their under-21s. But he wants to come out, he wants to test himself, he’s ambitious.

“He comes across to me like a lad who will be relatively reserved. But when he gets on that football pitch, I think a whole new character will develop.”