Fulham goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond has moved to Stockport County on loan, as announced on the non-league side’s official website.
The England Under-20s stopper has made a temporary move on a one-month basis and joins his brother Taye, who plays for Boreham Wood, in the National League.
Ashby-Hammond has been at Fulham since the age of eight and has also spent time on loan at Liverpool, featuring for them at Under-18 level.
He has regularly trained with Fulham’s first-team alongside seasoned ‘keepers such as Paulo Gazzaniga, Marek Rodak and Fabri.
His move to Edgeley Park today is his first as a senior footballer and comes following an injury and suspension to their other ‘keeper Ethan Ross. Their website also says that the starlet will be available straight away for tonight’s big game against Bromley.
As Fulham continue to push towards their inevitable promotion, manager Marco Silva and the board at the club will be intending to stay in the top flight long-term this time.
Securing the future of a promising young player like Ashby-Hammond before sending him out for some first-team minutes certainly seems like a healthy way to increase the likelihood of Premier League survival long-term and make the club sustainable when it comes to players.
With three first-team goalkeepers at Silva’s disposal and Fulham on the hunt for a Championship title, it seemed unlikely that an untried youngster would be tasked with playing for the senior side, so this is certainly a sensible deal for all parties involved.