Ben Greenwood’s remarkable rise has added a new chapter after the teenage defender was invited to train with the Republic of Ireland under-19s.
Greenwood, who was playing youth football for non-league Fleet Spurs last season, has linked up with the squad for a two-day camp in Dublin.
The 17-year-old left-back joined the Cherries academy in the summer after impressing boss Alan Connell and his staff during a trial at the end of last season.
Greenwood was recommended to Connell by Carl Robson, head of Cherries’ academy recruitment, and has already trained with Eddie Howe’s first-team squad.
Born in Frimley and raised in Aldershot, Greenwood, who is just two months into a two-year scholarship, has been capped by England schoolboys and also had trials with Chelsea, Arsenal and Watford.
He qualifies for the Republic through his grandparents on his mother’s side and will be hoping to win a place in their squad for forthcoming European Championship qualifiers against Switzerland, Gibraltar and Austria.
Cherries under-18 manager Alan Connell told afcb.co.uk: “This is great news for Ben. A lot has happened to him in a short space of time and this is something else he can be very proud of.
“I had a call from the Republic of Ireland scout and their under-19 manager and they said they wanted to get Ben in for their two-day training camp.
“They said there was a pathway for a young left-back and it was not a position they were overly-subscribed in.
“It’s credit to all the hard work Ben has put in since he joined us and it is great to see him being flagged up for a possible international call-up. Hopefully, he will impress and go on to win some caps in the future.”
Greenwood, whose father Phil played for non-league Walton Casuals, was capped by England schoolboys after featuring in Centenary Shield games against Wales and Scotland in March.
