Celtic youngster Karamoko Dembele made a fine impact for England under-17s today against Spain.
The young Lions secured a 1-1 draw against the Spaniards in a friendly in Murcia after a trio of matches in Spain. The contest comes after a draw and a defeat in two contests with Germany.
However, today, Dembele has made his mark in the youngsters’ Spanish training camp. He fired England 1-0 ahead with a first-half finish. It continues his recent rise through the English ranks as he continues to commit his international future south of the border.
Dembele started both the 3-3 draw with the Germans and today’s stalemate against Spain. It also continues a fine return to form since his injury knock last month.
How Scotland could be using Dembele at the moment
It’s a shame that it looks as though Dembele has committed his future to England. Even though nothing is set in stone until he makes his senior debut, he apparently seems happy with his choice for now.
He’ll play in international tournaments regularly with the England youth set-up and will be given plenty of opportunities to shine for young England sides who so often go into these youth tournaments as one of the favourites.
However, you still have to say he would’ve had more of a chance with Scotland. Steve Clarke wouldn’t have called him up yet, and probably wouldn’t for a few years. But not having a prestigious young talent like Dembele is disappointing.
We’ve seen yet again over this current international break just how much Scotland could do with some fresh talent in the coming years. Dembele would’ve offered just that. He showed enough in his Celtic debut to prove that he’s going to be a player in the future.
So long as he’s a star for Celtic, of course, that’s all that truly matters to us. Celtic have some security in the fact that he’s tied down on a long-term contract. The fact he may be turning heads shouldn’t be too big of a concern.
And his goal today against Spain showed once again that he’s a real prospect to watch in the coming years.
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