4 min read
23rd Feb 2023
It has been a hectic start to footballing life for 17-year-old midfielder Lucas Scicluna, who experienced moving to England at the age of just eight, played international football, and is focused on progressing through the ranks at Wolves.
Old gold fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future with Scicluna embedded in the club’s academy, and the confidence and commitment of the Australian-born youngster is something that is bound to stand him in good stead as he continues his development.
During a short interview with Scicluna, he detailed how his move to Wolves materialised: “I was playing at a decent level of football for Soccer Rising Stars back at home (in Australia) when a scout that knew my dad mentioned trial opportunities over here in England.
“I spent a season with Aston Villa at under-8s and looked around a few more clubs before coming to Wolves. When I saw the academy here, I had to take that chance and I haven’t looked back since.”
Lucas’ older brother Dylan is also in the youth ranks at Molineux and has featured regularly for the under-21s, including in their Papa John’s Trophy campaign earlier in the season with starts against Shrewsbury Town and Manchester United under-21s.
The young playmaker credits his success to the dedicated support network he has around him that is made up of his parents, his brother Dylan, and his agency CAA Base, whose clients include Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-Min Son and France international Raphael Varane.
“I’ve got a good team around me with the agency I work with, as well as my parents and my brother (Dylan) so I get a lot of help and support from people who have been in the industry for a lot longer than I have.”
Sibling rivalry in the Scicluna family appears to be extremely strong: “Being the eldest, he’s (Dylan) always done what I’m going to do before me, so I get a few tips from him. Now that he’s playing under-21s and training with the first-team, it really motivates me to get where he is.”
While Dylan represents Australia internationally at under-20 level, Lucas is eligible to represent Malta through his paternal grandfather and was handed his under-19 debut by head coach Toze Mendes when they travelled to North Macedonia in October 2022.
“It’s been a great experience. The lads are very welcoming and there’s a really good culture around the set-up. Speaking a bit of the language helped me blend in too.
“I’ve played against some top teams – Portugal, Poland and Germany in the last couple of months just to name a few. But playing against different teams and styles of play has been a bigger challenge than I first thought but the experience has been amazing.”
Malta are the hosts of the upcoming 2023 Under-19s European Championships starting in July, so gain automatic qualification to the tournament. Wolves’ young midfielder will be looking to gain further experience on the global stage where he may come up against the likes of reigning champions England.
Having spent almost 10 years in the academy system at Wolves, Scicluna has always been familiar with the culture of the club, however the Maltese youth international has noticed a drastic yet welcome change since the arrival of Julen Lopetegui in November of last year.
“We have most definitely noticed a change since he (Lopetegui) has come in, throughout the whole academy. The environment around the club has changed completely. There’s a clear pathway up through the ranks to the first-team, and there’s loan opportunities for us young players too.
“Playing category one football for so long has definitely helped me. Playing against some of the huge clubs that we do week-in week-out has benefitted me without a doubt.”
When asked about the next steps in his career, Scicluna looks to follow in the footsteps of academy graduates Hugo Bueno and Joe Hodge in gaining first-team football experience.
“At my age now, I’m looking to get to play men’s football as soon as possible, whatever way that is. Whether it’s leaving on loan or playing senior football here at Wolves that’s the next goal for me.”
By Joe Smith
