Leyton Orient’s academy has certainly produced some talented players in the past and centre-back George Elokobi believes the latest crop of youngsters have a bright future ahead of them.

The likes of Dan Happe, Sam Ling, Myles Judd and Josh Koroma all established themselves as regulars in the Orient side last season, with the quartet being joined in the starting line-up by 22-year-old Marvin Ekpiteta towards the end of the campaign.

Happe went onto win the club’s Young Player-of-the-Year award last season having impressed after making 32 appearances for the O’s and head coach Justin Edinburgh has shown that he’s not afraid to provide Orient’s youngsters with first team opportunities.

Charles Clayden made his professional debut at the end of April against Gateshead, while young left-back Shadrach Ogie has featured regularly for the O’s during pre-season.

Young forward Ruel Sotiriou also penned his first professional contract at the Breyer Group Stadium over the summer and Sam Sargeant was handed a new two-year deal.

Former Wolves man Elokobi is currently jostling with the likes of Ekpiteta as well as Happe for a spot at centre-back and said he will always make himself available to the club’s youngsters so he can pass on his experience.

Asked about the club’s younger players, Elokobi said: “They are still learning their trade. But they are very good. At this age they are already showcasing what they can do.

“They are playing men’s football and my job is to help these players as much as I can both on and off the football pitch. At the same time, it’s my duty to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained over the years to these youngsters and make sure I can help them. At times, they will make mistakes because we all make mistakes, even when we’re young.

“But they’ve got to be given opportunities to showcase their talent and that’s exactly what the coaching staff are doing. They did that last season. They are trusting these boys and they are very good young players. Hopefully they progress and play more games this season.

“It’s a squad game so I’m not going to sit here and say that I’m going to play every single game because that’s impossible, as we’ve got these very good young players that will show what they can do. I think they’ve got bright futures. If they didn’t have bright futures, they wouldn’t be here.

“I’m really happy that they took their opportunity last season and have that experience of playing in the National League, which is a very tough league. Hopefully they have learnt a lot from those experiences to build from there this season. That’s why we have a squad.”