Son of ex-Lion Steven Tan to train with West Ham
Marc Ryan Tan, the 14-year-old son of former Singapore international striker Steven Tan, has been invited to train with the academy of Premier League high-flyers West Ham, who are fifth in the table.
Tan confirmed the good news with The New Paper yesterday.
"Yes, it's true, but we still want to get the full picture from West Ham," said the 45-year-old former Malaysia Cup hero.
"They shortlisted him for further training, and it's great because they have a Category One academy. The full details are not confirmed, but he will most likely go in October."
West Ham, whose youth products include the likes of Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Jermain Defoe, were awarded a Category One status under the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).
This means they are one of the top 17 academies in England.
Marc earned the opportunity to train in London when he impressed West Ham's academy coaches, who conducted a training camp for about 25 youth footballers here last November.
The Hammers' coaches then picked out a few who showed enough potential, for a possible training stint at the club's academy in Romford. Marc (above) was the only local boy shortlisted.
The New Paper understands that at least two other players were also shortlisted, but they are sons of expatriates.
DEADLY DUO
Marc, who is a striker like his dad, made headlines in 2014 when he formed a lethal partnership with Ilhan Fandi - the third son of local football great Fandi Ahmad.
The two tyros starred for the F-17 Academy team at the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden - dubbed the "youth World Cup".
The duo scored 28 goals in eight matches and helped their team finish third out of 120 teams in the U-11 category.
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