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Approaching summer, most of the European leagues' seasons have ended or are nearing their end. Clubs where Lithuanian footballers played are no exception. For some of them, the seasons have already ended, and today we will review the performances of five players in those seasons, as well as their chances and prospects for the upcoming years.
England:
Simonas Stankevičius (19 years old) - "Leicester City U21"
2014-2015 season:
Conference National - 5 matches (191 minutes)
U21 Premier League - 16 matches (814 minutes) - 2 goals.
Simon's season can be divided into two different periods. The first, which took place at the beginning of the season, did not promise much - in the first seven rounds of the U21 Premier League, he only appeared three times and played a total of 43 minutes. His loan to the fifth-bottom team in the English league, "Nuneaton Town," ended very unsuccessfully. During that period, he only made one start, came off the bench four times, and finished the loan spell without scoring and without tasting victory (the only victory “Nuneaton Town” achieved while the Lithuanian forward was on the bench). However, after returning from the loan spell to "Leicester City," the young team, in January, Stankevičius managed to turn the season around positively. From January onwards, Stankevičius appeared in all of the club's matches, scored two goals, and helped the team rise to a respectable position in the prestigious English youth tournament.
Next season: The upcoming season will be almost crucial in the Lithuanian's career. Simon will turn twenty, and according to transfermarkt.co.uk data, the next season will be the last in his current contract as a forward. It would be naive to think that he will have the opportunity to play for the main "Leicester City" team next year, but it is very realistic that in the next season, Stankevičius might be loaned to one of the lower English league teams. And this time, the candidate for the Lithuanian national team will have to shine in men's football much more brightly than in his first attempt this year.
Greece:
Ernestas Šetkus (30 years old) - "AOK Kerkyra"
2014-2015 season:
Super League - 22 matches (1980 minutes) - 27 goals conceded (average of 1.22 goals per match), 7 clean sheets.
Having moved to the Greek top league team "AOK Kerkyra" this year, Ernestas Šetkus can also evaluate the season in two ways. At the beginning of the season, the Lithuanian was the main goalkeeper for the team, and looking at the goals conceded statistics, he defended the team's goal successfully in the first 20 matches. However, then the team's coach chose local goalkeeper Fotis Koutzavasilis to be in goal, and Šetkus had to wait on the bench for twelve matches until, two games before the end of the season, the recently turned thirty-year-old Lithuanian returned to the goal.
Next season: The goalkeeper's contract with the club should be valid for another year, and if nothing unexpected happens, Šetkus' summer should be very calm. The club just narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in twelfth place and achieving its goals in the competitive table (only a point separated ninth and fifteenth places) and secured a high tenth place. Regaining the starting goalkeeper position in the most important phase of the season shows that the club trusts the player, and he should have a chance to show himself next year as well.
Spain:
Edvinas Girdvainis (22 years old) - "Marbella"
2014-2015 season:
Segunda B - 28 matches (2089 minutes)
After three years in "Ekranas," Edvinas Girdvainis moved abroad again this year to play for the Spanish third-tier team "Marbella." Although there was a long period during the middle of the season when Edvinas was left on the bench more often, during the most crucial phase of the season when the Lithuanian club fought for survival, the defender appeared in the starting eleven in all seven matches. The team won four of those matches, drew three times, and rose to the tenth position in the tournament table, which should be positively evaluated.
Next season: The defender's contract with the "Marbella" team should expire this summer, so Edvinas will have to choose where to continue his career. Judging by his current role in the team, it can be assumed that his current team will try to keep him, but the 22-year-old defender should have the desire to test himself at a higher level. Nevertheless, there is a lack of young players in the Lithuanian national football team in the center-back position, and focused improvement sooner or later should give Edvinas the opportunity to perform in the national team camp and at the same time showcase himself to a much wider audience.
Ovidijus Verbickas (21 years old) - "Marbella"
2014-2015 season:
Segunda B - 4 matches (283 minutes)
Having moved from Klaipėda's "Atlantas" to Spain in January, Verbickas should be disappointed with this period. The Lithuanian appeared in just four matches and played only seventy-nine minutes in one match - certainly not what a defender expected from playing in "Marbella" club. With six goals and nine assists in the A league last year, the player failed to stand out in any of these aspects of the game this year.
Next season: Regardless of where Verbickas will play next year, the main goal for the next season should be to establish himself in the main squad. Whether this will happen in the current club or whether a move will be necessary to change teams this summer will be clarified, but it is clear that this semester would be forgotten only if the defender returns to such a productive and useful game as he demonstrated at "Atlantas." On the other hand, another season without football would overshadow the successful season in Lithuania.
Netherlands:
Vytautas Andriuškevičius (24 years old) - "Cambuur"
2014-2015 season:
Eredivisie - 27 matches (2232 minutes)
KNVB Beker - 1 match (64 minutes)
This year, unexpectedly moving from the Swedish league to the strong Dutch league, Vytautas did not flounder and immediately claimed a starting position in the "Cambuur" team. Having played 27 matches in the Eredivisie and one match in the Dutch cup competition, the defender could evaluate the season excellently. It also inspires positively that his club, which everyone predicted would be relegated to the second division, finished in twelfth place, achieving the team's goals.
Next season: The Lithuanian's contract with the team is valid for the next season as well, so it is most likely that he will remain in the "Cambuur" club for next season. The full-back was a steady player in the starting lineup and had the trust of the coaches throughout the season, so Vytautas's place in the team should be secure. It is unlikely that the player, who has just settled in the Eredivisie, would have many offers to move to an even stronger club this summer, but with the sudden turns in Andriuškevičius' career, one must also be prepared to reject such opportunities.
