Bradford City Boss Heaps Praise On Defender Who Plays Like Manchester City Young Star

Bradford City Boss Heaps Praise On Defender Who Plays Like Manchester City Young Star

Bradford City boss Graham Alexander has heaped praise on defender Jonathan Tomkinson following a solid display from the Norwich City loanee, according to the Telegraph and Argus.

Tomkinson joined the Bantams on a season-long deal in September, but has made just three appearances in all competitions to date. However, he is a highly rated youngster, having represented both the USA under-17 and 23 teams.

Having made three appearances for Norwich, the 21-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Stevenage. However, he failed to make an impression and was limited to just eight appearances in all competitions.

 

This season has followed a similar pattern whilst at Bradford, with just two starts coming in the EFL Trophy, whilst his only League Two appearance was a brief cameo as a late substitute against Grimsby Town. However, having played a key role in Tuesday’s victory over Liverpool under-21s, manager Graham Alexander has hinted that more game time could be on the horizon:

“We’ve seen a little bit of him in training since he came back from America on international duty and I thought he acquitted himself really well.

 

“He had a part to play in the first goal. I thought his pace was good, his mobility, his use of the ball and his one v one defending.

 

 

“He took on the tactical aspect of playing in that back three. He’s a good young player, hungry to do well, so that’s good competition for that backline.”

 

The West Yorkshire side sit 14th in League Two and are at home to Salford City on Saturday where they will hope to continue their impressive recent form.

 

Former Milton Keynes boss Alexander has had an excellent start to his tenure at Valley Parade, winning their last four games in all competitions, including the 4-0 win on Tuesday and a 3-0 win against Forest Green Rovers last week.

 

Writer’s View

 

It’s so nice to see players being publicly praised. Sometimes that’s all they need, an arm around them. Having represented USA recently in their internationals he is not one to be overlooked.

 

That being said, this Bradford City side are performing admirably with recent results so the competition for places will be there. It will be interesting to see if Tomkinson is given the chance to impress in the league, or if he is limited to minutes in the EFL Trophy.