Millwall boss Gary Rowett admits he is powerless to stop talent Zak Lovelace leaving the club amid interest from Rangers.
The 15-year-old striker is regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge at the club in recent years having already made his first-team debut in the Championship.
He is the second youngest player to ever appear for the club and had to get permission from his school to play. Since his debut Rowett has regularly allowed the kid to train with the first-team.
But Lovelace has yet to pen a professional contract with the club and could still walk away from The Lions.
The prospect is already attracting interest from the English Premier League, from sides such as Leicester City and former club Brighton.
Record Sport understands the Scottish Premiership champions have watched him regularly this season.
Rowett insists the club are doing all they can to keep the prodigy at the club, but concedes they can't stop him from leaving the club.
He told The South London Press: “For those type of players there is a structure in place with the likes of Premier League teams or other teams trying to sign those players.
"Until they have signed professional contracts you are always open to them coming in and pinching them, like they have with some of the other youngsters that have been well-documented over the years.
“The hope for us is always the same. We’ve got a plan for Zak to take steps to get into our first team. You’ve seen some of that plan developing perhaps a little bit quicker than we all anticipated but that was down, partly, to opportunity and his performances in training.
“John (Berylson, Millwall owner) has always made it clear that he wants to keep our best young players and see them in a Millwall shirt.
"The problem with that is on that journey there are an awful lot of things that can change that situation. We’re aware of that.
“Zak is a really good lad. He has come in with a humility and hunger to want to do well – that exuberance of youth. I’d love to see how that develops over the next two or three years because he could be, from what I’ve seen, a top player.
“We’ll see because a lot of that is potentially out of our hands. We’ll put a plan together and try to work to that plan. The best for any young player is to try and get into a first team and stay in a first team.”
