To minimise the risks to young football players we should ban agents recruiting under-18s | Letter

Phil Murray responds to articles about the precarious path talented young athletes face

Jonathan Liew’s piece (Raheem Sterling’s bleak tale a reminder of absurd path young footballers face, 17 September) is informative and timely, particularly when set against Jacob Steinberg’s report (‘They are very similar’: Arsenal’s Dowman reminds Merino of Lamine Yamal, 16 September) .

The tiny proportion of young footballers originally “signed” by top flight clubs at a ludicrously young age, who then achieve their dreams of a Premier League career, rather than being summarily dismissed at the age of 16 or 17 with the vast majority of their contemporaries, should be a reality check for parents/guardians of all aspiring young athletes.