At the end of last season, I’d tell anyone who would listen how we had a fantastic spine to the team.

Paudie O’Connor, Ethan Erhahon, and Ben House. That excited me, and it still does. They’re three players I believe would walk into 90% of other League One clubs and be first-team players. This article isn’t about them – they’ll be part of what we’re doing, a huge part, but over the pre-season period, three other names have leapt up and slapped me in the face as major parts of our team. Our spine is not three players anymore; in my opinion, there are six surefire starters. That’s six players I would now go as far as to say are the first names on the teamsheet when fit, six players who are all showing signs of being top-end League One quality.

One I think could be next season’s standout man.

For this short Sunday read, I’d like to tell you who they are and why I’m excited for them this season.

Lasse Sorensen

Up until he switched to right wing-back, we all wanted Lasse to do well, but feared maybe it wasn’t going to happen. His energy and endeavour were never in doubt; his attitude and application were spot on. In my opinion, he didn’t work in a two-man midfield, and although he suited a three, we didn’t play with three. That left him as an energetic sub, someone you knew could come on and affect a game but who you couldn’t quite place as a first-team player.

Then he played right wing back, and everything changed. I hold my hand up and admit that when the season came to a close, I thought we’d sign another one, perhaps a conventional right wing back who we’d seen before for another team. I hadn’t jumped on the Lasse hype train, but as pre-season progressed, my mind changed. He wasn’t a flash in the pan, he really is capable of doing the things he did at the end of last season over a 46-game campaign. I’m sold.

Lasse has energy, but his attitude is his biggest strength. He’s got a never-say-die approach to the game, he gets into superb positions, and he will never stop running. Often, the fittest teams are the ones that do well, not those laden with the biggest names. If you’re fit and can outrun the opposition, you’re always in with a shout, and Lasse epitomises fitness. Not only that, but his qualities are perfectly suited to right wing back, and I can’t see anyone coming in and pushing him out of the side.

Alistair Smith

I haven’t seen a lot of Smith, so this may just be hype, but there’s something about this lad that I really like. He was excellent against Boston, and I’m told he changed the game yesterday when he came on against Crewe. He was so good last week that I thought he looked up to Ethan Erhahon’s levels, and that really is scary. Erhahon is a top footballer, a player destined for the Championship with or without us, and I’m beginning to wonder if the recruitment team have pulled another one out of the bag.

Why do I like Smith so much? He’s an attacking midfielder with good shooting and attacking intent, a bit like James Jones was before his injury in our play-off season. He has a great engine and looks to be a grafter, but he has some nice skills to complement that effort. I like his physicality as well – midfielders don’t traditionally need to be big and rangy, but oddly he reminds me of a top player from many years ago – Gary McAllister. He was tall and had a great engine, could score goals and always battled hard, and I’m getting strong vibes of the Scottish midfielder in Smith’s general game.

Football matches are often won and lost in midfield. Charlton away last season, their midfield three got the better of us time and again, and they won 2-1 in a game where I feel we matched them for large parts. They had the spark in the middle of the park, creative and goalscoring (Scott Fraser with one goal, for instance). We had Sanders and Sorensen starting that game, not a midfield two that could dominate technically or physically. For me, Smith, alongside Erhahon, gives us a really strong central area, and I believe he would have started yesterday if Ted didn’t need minutes.

Danny Mandroiu

Podcast listeners will be aware that I felt (quite strongly) last season that Danny would be better with a pre-season in England behind him, as well as his experience in the division from the last twelve months. I cited Jeff Hughes, who came over from Larne, showed flashes of his ability one year and then took off the next. That’s Danny Mandroiu in 2023/24, in my opinion.

There’s no question about his ability. Technically, he’s one of the best players at the club, he caresses a ball with the love and tenderness that a certain Peter Gain used to. For me, he stands out as a footballer, and by that, I mean a specific type. All our players are footballers, but Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Peter Gain and Glenn Cockerill (for instance) were footballers – players who oozed talent and made the sport look like an art. Danny Mandroiu is a footballer, and he’s now ready for League One every week.

It’s taken him time to settle, injuries didn’t help, but we’ve seen glimpses throughout last season. His goal against Charlton in the game I’ve already referenced stood out for me, coming up trumps in a game that we collectively failed to impress in. He turned up for big occasions as well, Sheff Weds and Barnsley away in particular. He wasn’t always effective, I felt he was knocked about a bit in some matches, but that was simply a learning curve.

This pre-season, he’s netted five times already. He bagged seven for us last season, and I’ve got a feeling he could easily surpass double figures this campaign. He shows the awareness of a striker, popping up for the odd tap-in, but he’s got the ability to create for himself as well. He looks like a confidence player, and he’s playing with a confident air. That’s a great combination.

I am beginning to think that Danny Mandroiu could be the player this season. You know how some seasons there’s one who you just take your hat off to – Simon Yeo (2004/05), Ashley Grimes (2010/11), Matt Rhead (2015/16) and Brennan Johnson (2020/21), for example. They played in good Lincoln teams and bad Lincoln teams, but they stood out. I think that could be Danny this season. I think he could be the one who stands out in what is shaping up to be a very strong Lincoln City squad.