3/1 To Win
Kyron Stabana believes Derby County Under 21s’ five-day training camp in Portugal presents a ‘big opportunity’ for the second-year scholars.
The young full back is one of six new members of the Under 21 squad that is based in Lisbon for the next four days on a warm weather training camp.
He joins Josh Barnes, Alex Cover, Alex Babos, Calum Macdonald, Kellan Gordon and Lewis Walker making the step up to the Under 21s.
Stabana says the trip will be hugely beneficial to spend ‘quality’ time with the rest of the group early ahead of next season.
He told dcfc.co.uk ahead of this week’s training camp: “This week is a good opportunity, it will be a great experience for me and the rest of the lads to spend some quality time together.
“These trips are a great chance to bond with the rest of the team and with this being my first trip away with the Under 21s, it’s a big opportunity to work closely with the players that I hope to be playing alongside on a regular basis next season.
“It's great to mix the whole group together ready for next season, so it will only benefit us to do it as early as possible.”
Whilst this will be Stabana’s first European trip away with the Under 21 set up, the defender has been a regular face in the promotion-chasers’ squad over the course of this season.
He notably scored the winning goal against Wolves at the iPro Stadium back in November, and recalling his experiences with the Under 21s, he added: “This season, I have played a few games for the Under 21s and the last few weeks have been a chance to get a taste of the next level of football for me.
“I have been able to test myself against the likes of Jack Grealish, Armand Traore and even Jefferson Montero, who played for Swansea. They have all been great experiences.”
During their time in Lisbon, Rory Delap’s side will test themselves against Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon’s B team at their Academia Sporting training complex.
Stabana says the scheduled friendly offers a ‘big challenge’ to him and his team mates.
“Trips like these are very important,” Stabana said. “We have the opportunity to test ourselves against a different style of play and Sporting Lisbon will offer a big challenge for us as a group.
“They will set up completely different to what we normally come up against here in England. It might only be a friendly, but I’m confident that we will be able to cope with that and be able to get a win.”
