Big year ahead for talented Zak Ansah

There always seems to be one ’super talent’ to emerge from Arsenal’s much heralded Hale End Academy each season. First there was Jack Wilshere, then Benik Afobe and next in line could well be the much-hyped Zak Ansah.

I first brought to your attention Zak’s progress and potential almost a year ago when I revealed that he was one of the ‘technically gifted’ 14 year-olds that Arsene Wenger spoke about. A year on and he is pushing for a place in Steve Bould’s under-18s side and seems certain to make his debut at that level during this calendar year.

Capable playing either as a left-winger or up front, Zak has slotted into Steve Gatting’s under-16s side with ease, and is second only to the aforementioned Afobe in the scoring charts, having racked up five goals so far this campaign. With Benik now being increasingly involved with the u-18s, Zak has got his chance and taken it with aplomb.

If the surname Ansah sounds familiar to you then it is probably you watched Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker on Sky One last month, on which Zak’s father Andy (a former professional footballer) was one of the judges. Zak looks set to represent England u-16s in the Victory Shield during the latter part of 2009 and will be hoping to emulate Afobe’s efforts in the 2008 tournament.

Zak will face many hurdles over the next 12 months, many of them will be mental challenges such as how he will deal with his ’super talent’ tag and also whether he has the endeavour to alternate between u-16s and u-18s football with ease. He is not adverse to pressure, having captained Arsenal from the under-11s to the under-15s, and the signs are already pointing to yet another sublime player. It is far too early to tell what the end result will be in Zak’s development but early indications show that the Gunners might just have another gem on their hands.