"I want to see him play for Fulham’s first team. Then, if we can get him there, the world is his oyster."
Fulham youngster Luke Harris hasn't yet seen a single minute of Premier League action, but it's fair to say he's still making a big impression at Craven Cottage.
Now, with just 45 minutes of senior football to his name, he looks poised to be given a chance at international level, having been named by Rob Page in the latest Wales squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games with Belgium and Poland later this month. For more Wales football news, sign up to our newsletter here.
His inclusion is clearly the big headline, but even the most avid members of the Red Wall might might well find his name to be an unfamiliar one.
There's clearly a level of excitement within the Wales camp around the teenager, while Fulham's under-23s boss Steve Wigley similarly believes the teenager is destined for the top, having watched him come through the age grades in west London with apparent ease.
At just 16, Harris was one the first names on Wigley's team sheet last season.
"The only time he’s missed out on playing is when a member of the first team, who’s come back from injury, comes down to us to play," explained the former England under-21s coach when discussing the youngster last November.
The midfielder, who was born in Jersey, has similarly impressed while making his way through the age groups for Wales, and Wigley believes his progress at international level has perhaps slowed down what he feels is an inevitable rise to the senior set-up under Marco Silva.
"One of the things we’ve not been able to do, because of him being on international duty, is send him up to train with the first team when their players are away on international duty," Wigley explained. "He’s been away with Wales U19s, the U18s and now the U17s.
"The next step for him is to train with the first team and we’ve very fortunate to have a manager [Silva] who likes to have a look at young players. He watches all of the reserve games and when he’s got seven or eight away on international duty he takes four or five from my group."
It should be noted that Harris perhaps isn't quite the finished article just yet. Indeed, he struggled to really get going during his first senior outing for the Cottagers as they slumped to defeat to Crawley Town in the EFL Cup earlier in the season, and was substituted at half-time.
He wasn't the only one to struggled that day, mind, and that difficult night shouldn't dampen the excitement around his future.
"He has been in the system now for a few years. He’s a talent and an exciting prospect. He’s doing really well at his club and he scores goals," Page said of Harris. "When you have someone with that talent - albeit that he’s just turned 17 years old - then I am not bothered about his age.
"I have shown that in the past with Rabbi (Matondo) and Joe Rodon and DJ (Dan James) and others I have worked with at under-21 level and the younger age groups. If I think they are good enough, they will come in and be part of the environment.
"For these two games, I think it’s a great opportunity for him to come in and get a taste of it, to experience it, and for us to have a look at him. We can see what we have seen at club level.
"I like that he’s an attack-minded player, but he also has an eye for goal. When you have someone scoring goals - including regular hat-tricks - then it makes him an exciting prospect and one I can’t wait to get involved with the other boys."
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