A 15-year-old striker who has already made a huge impression as an England schoolboy has been signed up by Aston Villa.
Nathan Delfouneso is considered such a good prospect that Villa have offered him a contract with the view to a professional deal as soon as he reaches the age of 17.
The talented Tyseley-born youngster will now spend a year on a scholarship with Villa after leaving his mark with Academy bosses Tony McAndrew and Gordan Cowans in terms of his speed, strength and prowess in front of goal.
Delfouneso was recently widely acclaimed for his appearances with England Under-16s after scoring three goals to help his country lift the Victory Shield this season following wins over rival home nations Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It is understood that Villa wanted to secure the signature of the youngster as soon as possible to prevent other Premiership clubs from poaching their rising star in the near future.
The deal comes just days after Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho swopped to sign up 16-year-old Oldham protege Danny Philliskirk.
The striker, the son of the club's youth team coach Tony Philliskirk , has signed a four-year contract with Chelsea, two of which will be a scholarship.
Delfouneso's mentor Gordon Cowans today confirmed the youngster had been signed up and said the player had a very bright future ahead of him.
He said: "Nathan has showed a lot of potential and is a competent member of our under- 16 side as well as a regular with England where he has made a big impression.
"We have signed him up and he will be joining us as a pro next season. He is due to leave school in the next few weeks and we hope to have him on board full time this summer.
"Nathan did exceptionally well with Tony in a recent tournament in Germany while I was in Hong Kong with the under 18s.
"As long as we can keep his feet on the floor then I really do feel he will be a great prospect for Aston Villa in the future."
The youngster has already belied his years and broken in to the Villa reserve side where he has appeared alongside Luke Moore.
He is also said to have a close ties with other home-grown Villa talent including Isaiah Osbourne and Villa's Young Player of the Season, Gabriel Agbonlahor.
If Delfouneso makes the grade he will join a long list of current squad players to join Martin O'Neill's first team who have come through the Academy.
