Leeds United and Southampton are set to battle it out with Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers for Larne’s teenage striker Jack Hastings, according to Football Insider.
The 17-year-old prospect only made his senior debut for the NIFL Premiership side earlier this year, coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Crumlin United in January. It remains his only first team appearance, but his performances for the club’s youth teams have been enough to convince the Championship pair that he is a player worth keeping an eye on.
Hastings has hit 20 goals so far this season for Larne’s youngsters and won the club’s first year U20 NIFL Player of the Year award in June. He has been training with the first team squad and it is claimed that various scouts have been assessing his development with a view of making a move in the coming months.
Larne’s director of football is former Premier League attacker Iain Dowie, who enjoyed stints at West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Southampton in the 1990s, whilst also managing the Eagles between 2003 and 2006.
It is said that the former Northern Ireland international has been in contact with his former club at Selhurst Park to inform them of Hastings’ talents and they are expecting to receive bids for the teenager as a result.
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Hastings has featured three times for the Northern Ireland under-17 side, most recently in March this year and was on the scoresheet for Larne’s under-18 side in a 1-0 win over Coleraine last Friday night.
Writer’s View
There’s obviously a boy with bags of talent here. With a minimum of four teams all hoping to secure his signature, Larne will be hoping they can negotiate a worthwhile fee for the youngster. Meanwhile, Leeds and Southampton know that they will already be on the back foot, with Palace and Wolves both operating in the division higher.
However, Hastings is unlikely to be thrust into first team action just yet and any move will likely see him sent to the respective club’s development teams. Both Leeds and Southampton are chasing an immediate return to the top tier, with the latter in particular famed for nurturing talent through their academy.
Head of Writing
