Manchester-Based Nigerian businessman, Alexander Oluwole Shoretire, wants the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), to invite his son, Manchester United striker, Shola Shoretire, to the Super Eagles as quickly as possible.
Last Wednesday, Shoretire was in Manchester United’s team that played 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Young Boys of Switzerland in the final UEFA Champions League match in Group F. With qualification as group winners already secured, United’s boss, Ralf Rangnick, brought in Shoretire in the 68th minutes of the game, and he gave a good account of himself.
His father, Alexander Oluwole Shoretire, called The Guardian head office in Lagos from his base in Manchester yesterday saying: “I want those managing football in Nigeria to note that I want my son to play for my country, Nigeria. He has broken all records in football since he started playing. The England national team is doing everything possible to see that my son feature for the ‘Three Lions’, but I want him to play his senior career with the Super Eagles.”
Shoretire, ‘The Wonderkid’ was born on February 2, 2004 in Newcastle, England, to a Nigerian father and English mother. He is currently the highest paid footballer on the bill of kits manufacturer, Adidas, for players between the age of 17 and 25 years.
As a child, Shoretire played with Whitley Bay Boys Club, Newcastle City Juniors, Wallsend Boys Club, Hebburn Town and Cramlington Juniors, and was also briefly part of Manchester City’s youth setup but left to join rivals Manchester United at the age of nine.
He quickly rose through the youth ranks, and in December 2018, became the youngest ever player to appear in the UEFA Youth League at the age of 14 years and 314 days.
In 2020, coach of England’s U-23 team, Neil Wood, handed him his U-23s debut when he was just 16. He scored a hat-trick in a 6-4 win for England U-23s against Blackburn Rovers in February 2021. Shoretire signed his first professional contract with Manchester United on February 8, 2021, a week after turning 17, and on February 21, 2021, made his first-team debut for United as an 88th-minute substitute for Marcus Rashford in a 3-1 home league win over Newcastle United.
Four days later, Shoretire became United’s youngest player to make an appearance in a European competition, coming on as a substitute for Mason Greenwood in a 0–0 home draw against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League at the age of 17 years and 23 days, beating the record set by Norman Whiteside 38 years earlier. The Nigerian was named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year for 2020-21.
SOURCE : Guardian
