05 March 2023 , 09:00
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Former Fulham stalwart Kevin McDonald is adamant that Whites youngster Jay Stansfield has all the tools to contend for a first-team spot after impressing on loan at Exeter City this term.
Stansfield, 20, featured in consecutive Premier League games for Marco Silva's side before he dropped down to League One to join the Grecians on a season-long loan.
The forward seemed primed to feature in some capacity for Fulham this year going forward, but he had aspirations of playing regular first-team football - and he's doing so by following in the footsteps of his late father, Adam: an Exeter City legend.
Adam Stansfield passed away at the age of 31 in 2010 after battling bowel cancer while he was still on the books at Exeter City. During his time with the Grecians, Adam established himself as a firm fan favourite and even has a stand named in his honour at the club's St James' Park stadium.
McDonald joined Exeter on a short-term deal in January after recovering from a lifesaving kidney transplant in May 2021. He knows Stansfield better than most after coaching the youngster during his time at Fulham.
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In the build-up to his transplant, McDonald shunned interest from elsewhere to focus on coaching whilst taking his A license. And Stansfield, who was plucked from the Exeter City academy by Fulham three years prior to his return, was always a standout.
McDonald told Mirror Football: "I'd train three times a week and I'd take the U18s and the U23s too, sometimes little parts of the sessions, sometimes bigger parts or a full session to gain experience while I was doing my A license, because that was obviously my mindset [to coach] if I couldn't get back playing
"When I was doing a bit of coaching pre-transplant, Jay was one of the best in that young Fulham team. He was at it every day. I remember he played against Brentford in the Premier League, then he came on against Arsenal and then at the weekend he signed for Exeter. And I remember thinking to myself: 'What's happened here? How has that come about?' But obviously it makes sense."
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Kevin McDonald is now playing alongside Jay Stansfield at Exeter City (STEVE BOND/PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock)Stansfield has embraced the challenge of trying to honour his father's legacy with both hands. He chose to wear the same No.9 shirt that Adam wore during his stint with the Grecians after it had previously been retired and has impressed after scoring four goals and registering five assists so far this term.
McDonald is in no doubt that Stansfield is destined for greatness. And Fulham will be keeping a keen eye on the progress of their highly-rated starlet with a view to installing Stansfield as the understudy to star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic next year.
McDonald added: "He's a top, top guy; he's willing to learn every single game and barely ever complains. We get on well and he's a good laugh too. He's technically gifted and a lovely finisher. He knows he needs to bulk up as such and he will over time. He's got it all, though. I said that when I was back there [at Fulham] a couple of years ago and even more so now.
"Seeing him doing well against big centre-halves and being clever in first-team games. He needs a goal just now, he's not scored in a little while. But if he continues to perform how he has been, then goals and assists will come. I know these days there's a lot made about numbers, but he's performing well for the team and he's such a genuine, nice kid."