A TEENAGER from Gloucestershire has been called up to play for the England under-18s football squad.
Tom King, aged 17, from Dursley, will play in the upcoming World Cup warm-up tournament in Marbella, Spain.
He will travel to Spain this weekend before a trio of matches throughout the following 10 days, against Belgium, Morocco and South Korea.
Tom previously went to school at Cam Hopton Primary, and then Marling School in Stroud.
From the age of seven, Tom played with Cam Everside Youth Football Club and then eventually moved onto the under-12s at Gloucester City.
Over the last 18 months he has been at the Cheltenham Town Football Academy.
Earlier this season, at age 16 he became the youngest player in the club to play in a League One professional match.
Tom’s dad Chris said: "It's difficult to put into words how proud we are of Tom.
"To be honest the news of his England selection hasn’t really sunk in fully yet.
“We’ve always believed in Tom’s potential to perform at a top level, but had never anticipated he’d be representing England after only 18 months of playing academy football.
"Tom is an incredibly hard worker, always going the extra mile, whilst putting real attention to detail on his technical skills.
“Most importantly he’s always trusted in his coaches, listening, and applying all elements of training and advice to his game.
"To top it off, he gets to train and play with a great group of lads every day, which really makes the experience enjoyable for him; and at 17 that’s a really important dynamic.
"This is a success story for the whole academy, and for that we are really grateful."
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