Six-year-old Archie Oates is becoming one of Englands most sought-after young footballers.
London, Feb.16 : Six-year-old Archie Oates is becoming one of England's most sought-after young footballers.
Weighing about three stone, Archie, who has been nicknamed "little Rooney", is already training with Chelsea FC after being spotted by one of their youth academy talent scouts at the age of five. He has dazzled coaches from various Premiership clubs with his ability to deliver perfect corners with both feet, The Telegraph reports.
He can also hit shots that are powerful enough to have been struck by an adult.
Tottenham, Arsenal, Watford and Queens Park Rangers are among the other clubs to have shown an interest in the boy. However, he trains once a week with Chelsea and may well register at the club in September 2009 at the grand old age of eight.
It is common for talent scouts to watch matches involving seven-year-olds.
But a Chelsea scout was so impressed with Archie's ability that he said he would like to see him train with the club immediately, according to Paul Fitzgerald, the boy's coach at the more modest Belmont United in north London.
"The Chelsea scout told me, 'I'm very interested in taking on the little lad,'?" he said.
At the time, Archie, who lives in Edgware, north London, was playing his first competitive match with the older boys of Belmont's under-eights.
Archie's mother, Charlotte Pett, said: "He is happy at Chelsea. They came over after a match and asked if he wanted to train with them. I think he is the youngest one there. He could train at a different club every single day but I just want him to enjoy it.
"All he thinks about is football. It is all he is interested in. He has Sky Sports in his bedroom and when he is not playing, he is watching it.
Coaches have predicted that he is likely to one day play in the same position as the Manchester United and England forward.
Rooney started playing at Everton just before his 11th birthday.
ANI