Levi Colwill looks set to make his England debut in the coming days – something that will stun fans who goaded him for failing to make the bench at non-league Sholing four months ago.
The 20-year-old is considered one of the top defensive prospects in Europe, having impressed on loan at Huddersfield and Brighton before breaking through at boyhood club Chelsea.
Colwill helped England win the Under-21 European Championship over the summer and is now in line for his senior debut, which will leave a few onlookers rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
View this post on InstagramThe centre-back has strong family ties to non-league Sholing and wore one of their shirts as he cheered on uncles Byron and Dan Mason in May’s Southern League Division One South play-off final.
Colwill was one of the first in the dressing room to celebrate the 2-0 win against Hamworthy United and promotion on a day that started with him laughing off some pre-match ribbing from opposing fans.
“He had one of our shirts on and they were basically saying, ‘he’s rubbish, he couldn’t make the squad’,” Byron Mason told PA with a hearty laugh. “Little did they know!
“But he’s so chilled, he would never turn around and say ‘I’m a Prem footballer’ or anything like that. He’s not about that. He just laughed and took it.”
Colwill credits Sholing for helping fuel his rise to the top, having been a mascot at Wembley when uncles Barry and Byron Mason won the FA Vase final against West Auckland Town nine years ago.
Close family friend Marvin McLean scored the winner and still plays for Sholing along with Byron and Dan Mason.
“Sholing has been a massive family affair,” Colwill’s uncle Dan told PA. “Me and my brothers have been there for pretty much our whole lives.
“All of us have got 500-plus appearances each, so we’ve been there for years.
“When people do come there, even family and that, they really feel a part of it, which is obviously what’s special about non-league.”
Colwill’s watertight bond to his family and their club means he can often be found watching Sholing when he is not strutting his stuff at Stamford Bridge.
“When the fixtures comes out, we all look and see what games he can come to of ours and what games we can go to of his,” said Dan, who revealed Colwill has joined them on the coach to some away games.
“Honestly, any time we’re free we go to each other’s games. It’s a massive support thing.
“Even Saturday mornings and if we’re travelling, we’re in the group chat pushing each other for the win. As soon as the games are finished, we break down games in there.”
A frustrating diary conflict prevents Byron and Dan from making it to Poland as Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine kicks off immediately after Sholing’s match at Harrow Borough, while Tuesday’s friendly in Scotland clashes with another game.
“It hasn’t fallen right, so obviously we can’t make it – it’d have been amazing to be there,” said Byron, who joked his Wembley win is all he can hold over his talented nephew.
“We always stay (at the ground) to around six so we’ll watch the first half. Then we’ll have an iPad or something ready to watch the second half on the way home.
“I just can’t believe it. Hopefully he gets some minutes.”
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
Amorim wants Man Utd players to be inspired by club's history
Ruben Amorim wants his Manchester United players to be inspired by the club's history as he bids to bring a winning mentality back to Old Trafford.
Amorim, taking over at the Premier League club following the departure of Erik ten Hag, was speaking in his first interview with the club after a tour of their home venue.
The Portuguese tactician had visited Old Trafford earlier in the week and met a group of supporters, as well as the women's team's vice-captain, England star Ella Toone.
"When you come [to Old Trafford], it's so different. You see the trophies, you see the tragedy that we have as a club. The history," said Amorim.
The 39-year-old added the manner in which the club defied the odds to succeed under Matt Busby after the Munich air disaster in 1958 should be a particular source of inspiration.
"This kind of strength, I think it's important to put in our team. When the players come here, they should take the stadium tour all the time. I think this is very important to do," Amorim said.
"It's normal if you go a lot of years without winning, you start losing that feeling. So I think we need to put all the players doing the same thing, to regain that feeling.
"We haven't won the Premier League for a long time. But if you ask, United is the biggest club in England.
"So this is part of history, it is not now. So we have to address that, to show that and to try to win again."
Asked what his footballing philosophy is, the former midfielder said it all comes down to being a team.
"The team is the most important thing for me. And if you work as a team, then the talent individually is going to shine," he said.
"But if I have to explain the importance of everything, it is the character, the way we fight, the way we play, and we must have an identity.
New Man Utd boss Amorim says he must win to be afforded time
New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said he will need to win matches in order to earn time and create his own identity at the club.
The Portuguese tactician, who left Sporting CP to become Erik ten Hag’s successor at Old Trafford, was speaking during his first interview with the Premier League club.
"We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity. So since day one we will start with our identity," the 39-year-old said.
"Of course we are going to prepare the games, but we will focus a lot in our game model. How to play, how to press, these small things, small details.
"You cannot go 100% on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity."
Amorim is the seventh different manager to take charge of the club since Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and will face a trip to Ipswich Town in the league on 24 November on his United debut.
But the former Portugal international added that having a young squad will not be an excuse if he fails to get the desired results in the short term.
"I don't want to say that we need time because we are a young team. They are prepared. They are prepared to cope with the demands of playing for United. They should be because they are here," Amorim said.
"We know it will take time, but we have to start since day one without fear, without thinking that they are not used to playing like this. They will start on the first day with our idea, no matter what. That's the goal."
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