Northern Ireland are understood to be monitoring the international future of talented Wolverhampton Wanderers teenager Lee Harkin who is set to sign a new deal at Molineux.
Derry-born Harkin, who has been flying for Wolves U23s in Premier League 2 this season, represented the Republic of Ireland at U16 level.
But the 18-year-old forward, who boasts pace and a low centre of gravity, hasn’t been involved with the Republic’s underage set-up in recent times, preferring to focus on his club career.
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And that has alerted Northern Ireland U21s coach John Schofield who plans to watch the teenager ahead of the next U21s camp in the summer.
Harkin, who turns 19 next month, joined Wolves in 2019 and went on to sign his first professional contract with the Premier League club in July 2020.
He has scored three goals in his last four outings for Wolves U23s, including a brace in a recent 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
And it is expected the teenage forward, who has also played for the club’s U18s, will pen a new deal at Molineux in the coming days.
Harkin first burst on the scene in 2018 when he produced a number of dazzling displays and scored a stunning brace for County Londonderry against Manchester United in the Super Cup.
He later said: “We won 2-1 and it was one of the best weeks of football I’ve ever played.”
Northern Ireland U21s are next in action in the summer when they face Spain (H) and Lithuania (A) in Euro qualifiers on June 3 and 7.
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