Northampton Town Manager Gary Johnson is under no pressure to sell highly-rated youngster Michael Jacobs.
Jacobs graduated from the ASE programme in 2010 and made 48 appearances for the Cobblers last season. In the process he found the back of the net 8 times and put himself on the radar of Club’s higher up the English football pyramid. Johnson however believes the 19-year-old midfielder should remain at Sixfields and continue his development.
“I’m very much planning to have him in my team next season,” Johnson told the Chronicle & Echo.
“He showed a maturity at the end of last season for me and for the club that I was really impressed with.”
“I’m sure he will eventually go on to play at a very high level but he’s not ready yet. I don’t know whether he’ll like me for saying it, but if he went somewhere now he wouldn’t be ready.”
“He needs to be here for a little while yet because when that potential does come out and he becomes a regular league player, and he’s confident, he’ll go straight into someone’s side. He loves his football too much, he’s got that kind of personality that it won’t suit him to go somewhere and not be in the team,” he added.