Former Northgate High School pupil and Norwich City starlet Todd Cantwell is catching the eye
Todd Cantwell celebrates his FA Youth Cup winner against Middlesbrough. Picture: JASON DAWSON - Credit: JASON DAWSON/JASONPIX
A host of Premier League giants are rumoured to be tracking talented midfielder Todd Cantwell, writes Gavin Caney and David Freezer.
The 17-year-old, from Dereham, enhanced his growing reputation with a classy display for Norwich City in their dramatic FA Youth Cup triumph over Middlesbrough at Carrow Road last week.
Cantwell scored twice – including the winner in extra-time – as the young Canaries fought back from 4-1 down to cap a memorable 5-4 after extra-time triumph. And it appears the former Northgate High School pupil's efforts have not go unnoticed.
The Daily Mirror have suggested that Arsenal are keen on the England Under-17s international with top talent spotter Steve Rowley among those at Carrow Road to watch last Wednesday's classic. The same newspaper also claims scouts from Manchester United and City, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Liverpool were impressed with the youngster's showing.
Cantwell has been with the Canaries since the age of 11 and was ecstatic to help set up a quarter-final trip to Manchester City – which must be played on or before Saturday February 27.
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'It's the only thing we're really looking forward to at the moment,' he admitted, with City 10th in the South Division of the Under-18s Premier League with just two games left to play.
'Obviously we've got the league, we can't win that, but we still have a chance to win the FA Youth Cup and doing what we did has given us a really good chance.
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'It's going to be an unbelievable experience (to play at the Etihad) and I don't think that we'll think we're going to lose now because we can beat anybody when we played how we played (against Boro), so we're looking forward to it.'
Cantwell, who has netted in every round that City have played in this year's competition, scored an early penalty to put City 1-0 up against Boro and played a major role in the comeback before netting his side's clincher.
Norwich under-18s boss Graeme Murty was full of praise for his playmaker's role in the thriller.
He said: 'The stuff he does on the ball, we really want to harness, to make him more destructive if we can for our attacking play.
'It's really hard sometimes to get him in to nice pockets of play because teams scout him and know he's got good quality, so we have to find ways of getting him on the ball.'
