The Leeds United forward is no longer a teenager and will need to break through or risk falling by the wayside.
When Leeds United published their retained and released list earlier this summer, one player whose name may have slipped under the radar was striker Eoghan Stokes, who was offered a new one-year contract despite failing to make a first-team appearance thus far.
Stokes is highly regarded in the Leeds academy and fans are eager to see what he can do with the senior side, but at 21 he needs to justify the hype or risk becoming yet another academy prospect that falls by the wayside.
The young Leeds forward possesses an innate talent in front of goal and he has scored regularly for the Whites’ under-23 side, a rare shining light in an otherwise hugely disappointing campaign for the second string.
Along with Mallik Wilks, Stokes is the young striker Leeds fans are pinning their hopes on for the years ahead, hoping he can ultimately make a similar impact to the likes of Lewis Cook and Ronaldo Vieira before them, albeit in a different position.
The regular managerial changes at Elland Road will not help Stokes stake a claim for first-team chances, but with another 12 months to prove his worth, he must seize the opportunities given to him in pre-season and early next season to ensure he is not another Chris Dawson.
Leeds clearly rate Stokes, offering him new terms while waving goodbye to the likes of Jack Vann and Billy Whitehouse; the time has come for the striker to justify the hype.
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