Huddersfield Town star backed to 'force his way' amid Liam Manning situation - 'he has real quality' | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield fan pundit has high hopes for Will Alves throughout the League One run-in

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's been a stop-start campaign for Leicester City loanee Will Alves at Huddersfield Town this season.

After netting on his debut from the bench against Peterborough United, the 20-year-old, who had shown glimmers of quality in the Championship the year before with Cardiff City, was ruled out for months just a couple of games later due to a freak foot injury.

Fast-forward to his return at the start of 2026, Alves looked likely to be filling the Leo Castledine-shaped hole in the Terriers' midfield, after the Chelsea loanee was recalled and sold to Middlesbrough.

But after making just his second league start of the campaign in a 3-1 loss at Burton Albion, Lee Grant was sacked, and the 20-year-old hasn't yet made it off the bench in the four league games under new boss Liam Manning.

It's evident that the young, versatile attacker has plenty of quality already and the potential to be a top player in Huddersfield's push for promotion, but certain players are already ahead of him in the pecking order, and after an unbeaten start through four games, Liam Manning has, understandably, been reluctant to change a winning formula.

Huddersfield Town fan pundit assesses Will Alves situation

Graeme Rayner, FLW's Huddersfield fan pundit, is slightly surprised at the fact that Alves has yet to see the pitch in League One under Liam Manning, and does feel that he's been dealt an unfortunate hand with his injury and the managerial change.

But, he concedes that the performances have been good without him involved, and is happy to trust in Liam Manning for the time being.

"In a lot of ways, I am surprised that Will Alves hasn't been given more of a chance, as he looked decent in the last few games under Lee Grant," Rayner said.

"He was one of the few shining lights towards the end. He had done well in a similar role to Leo Castledine and looked like an adequate replacement.

"However, you can't really argue with the results [under Manning]. Three wins and a draw from the first four are much better than we had hoped, and Manning's substitutions have made a difference.

"On Saturday [versus Blackpool], we were 2-0 down, and he brought on Mickel Miller and Cameron Ashia, who both made a difference. The proof is in the pudding, and you can't really criticise."

Rayner believes that the sheer competition for places is a "good thing", and the fact that Alves has found opportunities limited under the new manager should give the 20-year-old added impetus to impress when he does get chances, which will be a good thing for Huddersfield's current charge towards promotion.

"I would hope that he'd get some game time soon to show what he can do and force his way into contention," he said.

"It can only be a good thing to have players champing at the bit to get into the starting lineup, and hopefully he can do that, because he has real quality."

All hands on deck are needed at Huddersfield Town en route to Championship promotion

With 12 points separating Huddersfield from Lincoln City in second, plus with the Imps holding a game in hand over Liam Manning's side, you get the idea that it may be too little, too late for the Terriers in their hopes of finishing in the top two.

However, ensuring that the gap between themselves and the chasing pack outside the top six remains large is a priority, and Huddersfield needs a fully fit squad available and firing to confirm their play-off place, and ideally finish either 3rd or 4th, leading to a home tie in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Therefore, as Rayner suggested, the competition at the Accu Stadium is currently a positive for Huddersfield, as it means that Liam Manning can call upon a whole host of hungry stars from the bench to impact games and show why they deserve to start them as we head closer towards the end of the season.

With Manning in charge, the Terriers have a little more hope at securing a Championship return than they did under Lee Grant, and now it's up to everyone in the squad to do their part in making sure that happens.