Ryan Sessegnon is on the radar of the senior England team following his sparkling performances for Championship side Fulham this season.
Sessegnon, who does not turn 18 until May 18, has been watched by Steve Holland, England manager Gareth Southgate’s assistant, on more than one occasion as he has lit up the division, scoring 13 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions from left-back and midfield.
The teenager is wanted by a number of Premier League clubs, with Tottenham prominent among them, and its appears highly likely that he will leave Fulham should they fail to secure promotion to the top flight, although they may demand a deal worth up to £50million before they can be persuaded to sell.
At this stage, Sessegnon is only an outside bet to be selected by Southgate: he has never played top-flight football and has only 67 professional appearances behind him. But Holland’s presence at matches involving Sessegnon this season proves how highly he is regarded.
Sessegnon has played for England at junior level and was joint-top scorer for England Under-19s at last year’s European Championships, which they won by defeating Portugal in the final.
Sessegnon knows his next move will be crucial. If Fulham reach the Premier League, he may decide that he is better served by spending at least one more season at Craven Cottage.
All players aspire to reach the highest level as quickly as possible but if Sessegnon moved this summer to a top English or European club, there is a risk his progress could be slowed by a lack of regular action.
Sessegnon knows that, barring injury, he is first choice for Fulham and would remain so even if they move up a division. That would not be guaranteed at a club like Tottenham or Manchester United, where competition for places is more intense.
Tottenham are likely to listen to offers for their England left-back Danny Rose, who made clear his wish to leave the club last summer, at the end of the campaign, although the 27-year-old is not quite as attractive a prospect as he once was.
Read More
Both Manchester clubs were keen a year ago but Rose spent most of last year out of action with a knee injury and Ben Davies has been preferred in the big games this season by Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Sessegnon has been at Fulham since the age of eight, alongside his twin brother Steven, who has made two appearances in the EFL Cup this term but is not advancing as quickly as Ryan.
Sessegnon, who is also the cousin of Stephane Sessegnon, the former Sunderland and West Brom player who is now with Turkish club Genclerbirligi, has been compared with Gareth Bale by coaches Huw Jennings and Malcolm Elias, who worked with the Real Madrid star during his Southampton days.
