Cyprus U21 international could get his chance to impress Wilshere during pre-season

Luton’s Cyprus U21 international Zach Ioannides and his fellow crop of talented youngsters at Kenilworth Road could well get their chance to impress Hatters boss Jack Wilshere during the upcoming pre-season campaign.

The 19-year-old, who moved to Town’s academy as an 11-year-old, named Luton’s Premier League Scholar of the Year last term, started the season by featuring in the Premier League Cup for the U21s, a competition he went on to make six appearances in, with one assist as well. Ioannides was then handed his first team debut during the Vertu Trophy knock-out contest with Exeter City in December, coming off the bench along with another teenager Harry Fox for the final 19 minutes of the 4-0 victory, joined late on by Jack Lorentzen-Jones too.

Eager to continue his development, Ioannides was loaned to Southern League Premier South side Basingstoke Town in March for the remainder of the campaign, making his debut in the 1-1 draw with Dorchester Town, as he set up two goals in his first two matches, going on to play eight times in total for the club. He also earned a call-up to the Cyprus U21s squad for their Euro U21 Championships qualifying campaign, making his debut in the second half against Spain as their illustrious opponents ran out 7-0 winners.

Ioannidis then played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 reverse to Finland U21s and will now stay in Bedfordshire having had the option on his U21 deal taken up by Town at the end of the campaign. On his chances at Kenilworth Road and how impressed he was with the youngster’s international call-up, with fellow teenager Fin Evans also getting his opportunity for Wales U17s in their Euro U17 Championship qualification mini-tournament last month, Wilshere said: “It’s excellent and he made his debut with us in the Vertu Trophy this year.

"He's a good player, he’s a really good player. When they played Spain, they lost 7-0, but they were in the game until 60 minutes and then Spain took over, which they can do, I played against Spain at that age and they're very good. For him to play in the next game against Finland, it’s amazing for him and amazing for us as it gives him that bit more experience.

“It’s massive (for the club) as well, and I remember being in the academy as a coach, when one of the players gets selected for international duty it’s a nice feeling because you’re the ones that have put in the hard work since some of them have been 11, 12, however long it’s been. You’re putting the work in every day and trying to develop them and to see that they’re getting rewarded for their hard work is a good feeling, so I’m really happy for everyone in the academy as they do work really hard.

"He’s probably someone that we’ll look at in pre-season. There's a few players in that 21s group that we get to see a lot as they trained next to us and they are heavily involved in our sessions, but I feel like pre-season is the right time to give them a little bit more game time, see how they can cope with that.”