How to impress scouts at a trial

It's your big chance. You've been given a trial with a club, and you're eager to show what you can do. It's a potentially life-changing opportunity, so understandably there may be a few nerves.

Gus Poyet knows what's involved, having progressed to become an international midfielder with Uruguay and then seen life on the other side of the fence as a Premier League manager with Sunderland.

In this video, Poyet explains how to approach a trial game and impress the watching coaches.

Related article: How to catch Arsene Wenger's eye

Be prepared to be patient and don’t overdo it by trying to win the game on your own, taking risks every time you get the ball.

But play without fear and do something to make you stand out. Show them that you have got something different to what they already have, in whatever position you play.

Give them a moment to remember you by, and it might just earn you that contract.

Related article: Harry Kane: How to make it pro

Gus Poyet is one of a number of guest coaches who deliver sessions for students at the FootballCV Academy in Stamford. For more information visit www.footballcvacademy.com


 

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Chris Flanagan
Senior Staff Writer

Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.