Remember Karamoko Dembele? The dinky little foetus – born in 2003 – who made his debut for Celtic’s Under-20 side last month and made us all feel ancient in one fell swoop?
Well, as was inevitable, the 13-year-old prodigy has promptly become the subject of a bartering match between rivals FAs, with both England and Scotland vying for his international allegiance.
Indeed, Dembele made his England debut last night, coming off the bench to register an assist for the Under-15s in a 5-2 win over Turkey…
However, this comes just one week after the teenager made his Scotland Under-16s bow in a 2-2 draw against Wales.
Despite being born in London, Dembele is eligible to play for England, Scotland and Ivory Coast, due to his parents being born there.
According to the Mirror, after seeing the youngster turn out for the Scots, the English FA pounced quickly to invite him down to train at St George’s Park and give him a taster of the Young Lions lifestyle.
That said, the Scottish FA aren’t going to give up the ghost that easily, with chief executive Stewart Regan saying:
We will try to do everything we can to bring him into the Scottish system.
If you have talented players who are eligible for other countries, they are always going to be attractive to other associations.
Ultimately, the choice will come down to the boy and his parents.
Let the great tug of war commence!