Predicting the next 3 Rotherham United wonderkids to break through into the first-team | OneFootball

Rotherham United haven't made the best start to this season.

This isn't a massive surprise though because they have faced some pretty difficult fixtures.

Not only have they faced Stoke City and Sunderland away from home, but they have also taken on relegated side Leicester City and were unlucky not to come away from that match with a point.

Thankfully for them, others including Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town haven't made good starts to the season either, so they will be hoping to capitalise on the poor form of others to drag themselves into a better position.

Considering they have lost defender Wes Harding and talisman Chiedozie Ogbene since the end of last season though, they may find it difficult to keep themselves afloat in the Championship.

Three poor clubs were relegated last season and promoted sides Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle look strong, so manager Matt Taylor will need to pull off miracles to secure an impressive finish for the Millers.

In fairness to them, they have managed to bring some gifted players in with Cafu and Fred Onyedinma likely to be real assets for the South Yorkshire side, but they may need others to step up to the plate if the second-tier side wants to be successful.

With the transfer window now shut, some of their youngsters will need to step up if Taylor wants fresh faces in his squad and with this, we take a look at three youngsters who could make a first-team breakthrough at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

1 Ciaran McGuckin

McGuckin has already made three league appearances this season - but was only on the pitch against Blackburn and Leicester for a few minutes.

But the fact he is becoming part of the first-team squad should give him the confidence to go on and stare regularly for the Millers.

He's at risk of falling away from the senior squad if he doesn't make a real impact - but he has already played for Northern Ireland's U21 team as a teenager and that just goes to show how much of a talent he is.

It will be a big ask for him to make the step up from the National League following his spell at Scarborough Athletic - but the fact he already has senior experience under his belt should serve him well this term.

2 Josh Ayres

Ayres is another player that has appeared in their matchday squad this season - and will be hoping to establish himself as a good bench option in South Yorkshire during the 2023/24 campaign.

Last September, he scored a hat-trick for the U18s against Morecambe and that showcased just how much of a talent he is, but it will be an even bigger achievement for him if he can become an important first-teamer.

They could certainly benefit from his goals after losing Ogbene earlier in the summer as he joined Luton Town on the expiration of his contract in Yorkshire.

3 Hamish Douglas

Signing a professional contract in December, Douglas is clearly someone who is highly rated by the Millers and with this in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make the step up to the senior squad in the next nine months or so.

Having already trained with the first team, that will only help him if he does make that big step up on a full-time basis.