'Stability recipe for success' - PFA on young stars

Young players who have a strong support network around them are more likely to succeed in the game, says the Professional Footballers' Association.

Speaking after the successful Premier League debuts of English teenage talent Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha last weekend, PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said having "stability is the recipe for success".

Dowman, 15, impressed during a second-half cameo in Arsenal's 5-0 win over Leeds on Saturday, earning a late penalty that Viktor Gyokeres dispatched, before 16-year-old Ngumoha scored an injury-time winner for Liverpool at Newcastle.

And Molango says honest conversations will remain at the heart of whether they and players like them will fulfil their potential.

"Most of the people that make it to the top are very driven," he told BBC Sport.

"They don't play for the money, and it is obvious that when you achieve very early you may lose a bit of that drive and hunger.

"For us what we see from those who are successful from an early age is they make the right choices about who is around them – that can be your partner, your family or your agent that tell you the truth.

"When you are good, they tell you, when you're not so good they tell you. That stability is recipe for success."

Molango also discussed why the game is in "urgent need of certainty" amid the number of high-profile disputes between players and clubs this summer.

Dowman and Ngumoha have undoubtedly created a big splash at the start of the Premier League season but Molango is aware of the pitfalls they may encounter moving forward – including the pertinent issue of player burnout.

"We live in a world where people are shining younger and younger and that has a number of implications," Molango said.

"What we have seen at the PFA, having seen the before and after, is that making the right choices at the beginning of your career is very important.

"Who you are surrounded by will have a big influence as to how your career will play out.

"Seeing young players make their debuts is a reminder we have to do the work before the actual career starts so they know what needs to be in place to be successful.

"You feel for those younger lads because they are still developing physically and mentally."

The summer transfer window has been dominated by instances of players trying to force their way out of their clubs.

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Brentford forward Yoane Wissa both claim they have unwritten agreements with their respective clubs to leave if certain conditions are met this summer.

Isak wants to join Liverpool and Wissa is adamant he wants to sign for Newcastle.

Similarly, Viktor Gyokeres was at odds with former club Sporting Lisbon this summer over a gentleman's agreement he believed he struck with the Portuguese side before his move to Arsenal.

Molango did not comment specifically on any of those three transfer sagas but made reference to a landmark case which concluded last October when former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra won a case in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Diarra successfully argued that some of world governing body Fifa's transfer laws broke European Union regulations.

Additionally, the European Court of Justice also ruled earlier this year that Fifa and Uefa contravened EU laws in blocking the establishment of the European Super League in 2021, saying the governing bodies abused "a dominant position".

Indeed, BBC Sport understands there is a sense at the PFA that Fifa's power does not stretch as far as the organisation assumes it does and that they should use the aforementioned court rulings as a sign that greater collaboration between football's stakeholders is required.

And Molango believes that situations such as the ones Isak and Wissa find themselves heading into the final days of the transfer window are rooted in ambiguity over the governance of the game.

"The strength of the PFA is not to get into particular cases and to make sure people feel they can turn to us with confidence, that we aren't going to discuss specific cases with anyone – particularly with the media," said Molango.

"What we are seeing is an urgent need to fix the governance of football. There has been a number of court decisions recently that not everyone has taken notice of – especially at the authority and stakeholder level – and I think the clubs and the players have an urgent need of certainty.

"If there's one conclusion we are drawing from the last few weeks and months it is that there is a need to revisit the governance in light of the court decisions which has very clearly established a path for this to happen."

Molango was speaking to BBC Sport from Brisbane Road in east London, where out of contract players from the PFA's summer camp initiative, took on a Leyton Orient side.

The camp provides unattached footballers with training and support with a view to earning playing contracts.

"The summer camps are a very important initiative for us, born out of our experience as former players," said Molango.

"What we have is a situation where players don't have a club and are going through a difficult period, rethinking what they may do next or living in a period of doubt.

"But also we have players who do have offers and want to wait until they receive the right offer, assess their options, and make the right choices, not forced by the market."