Full article: It was only Defence Force FC, the champions of the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League, but for [Manchester City](https://inews.co.uk/topic/manchester-city-fc?ico=in-line_link)-bound Cavan Sullivan it still marked a big milestone.
Two goals in a 7-0 home win for Philadelphia Union, Sullivan’s current club, were the first in senior football for a 16-year-old attempting to live up to his billing as one of the world’s best young talents.
It says much about the hype surrounding him that the attacking midfielder already has a clutch of lucrative endorsement deals, including a tie-up with Adidas that has seen him collaborate with his idol [Lionel Messi](https://inews.co.uk/topic/lionel-messi?ico=in-line_link).
His progress has been tracked on an Apple TV mini-series and he is the youngest debutant in the history of the MLS.
But with the clock ticking down on his move to [the Premier League](https://inews.co.uk/topic/premier-league?ico=in-line_link) at the end of 2027, this probably needs to be a breakthrough year if he is to meet those sky high expectations.
“He’s absolutely got the talent,” says Jonathan Tannenwald, *The Philadelphia Inquirer*‘s football writer.
He is close to Sullivan’s family and has monitored his progress since the first whispers that the club were hothousing a “special talent”.
“What we don’t know yet – or we have only seen in glimpses – is whether he can do it against guys twice his age.”
# ‘Sullivan won’t be the next Adu’
Alongside the hype there has been scepticism.
It is incredibly tricky to predict the trajectory of wonderkids.
Freddy Adu, hailed as the next Pele when he emerged at the age of 14 only to become a journeyman in Europe’s lower leagues, remains a cautionary tale.
“He won’t be the next Adu,” Tannenwald says.
“The infrastructure of the league, the coaching staff, the academy structure, the education and support is on another level from what it was 21 years ago.”
# A major signing coup
City – who have invested more than £3.5m in the deal – continue to monitor his progress closely and invited him to Manchester in the summer to train with their under-23s.
They beat off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as a clutch of rival Premier League clubs, to persuade his family that they were the right place for his development.
In an illustration of the meticulous work that goes into their academy recruitment, they presented “incredible” data that benchmarked Sullivan against other players of his age and showed him why they wanted him.
Zealousideal-Goat839 on
Sullivan is only 16 and they’re already crying about his playing time at city. He’s on loan at Philadelphia until he’s 18 anyway I believe
Impossible_Wonder_37 on
Crazy how we will have had him for 3 years before he ever properly trains with us. Glad he’s stayed close tk family. That will certainly help him more than any u23 football or coaches in Europe
3 Comments
Full article: It was only Defence Force FC, the champions of the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League, but for [Manchester City](https://inews.co.uk/topic/manchester-city-fc?ico=in-line_link)-bound Cavan Sullivan it still marked a big milestone.
Two goals in a 7-0 home win for Philadelphia Union, Sullivan’s current club, were the first in senior football for a 16-year-old attempting to live up to his billing as one of the world’s best young talents.
It says much about the hype surrounding him that the attacking midfielder already has a clutch of lucrative endorsement deals, including a tie-up with Adidas that has seen him collaborate with his idol [Lionel Messi](https://inews.co.uk/topic/lionel-messi?ico=in-line_link).
His progress has been tracked on an Apple TV mini-series and he is the youngest debutant in the history of the MLS.
But with the clock ticking down on his move to [the Premier League](https://inews.co.uk/topic/premier-league?ico=in-line_link) at the end of 2027, this probably needs to be a breakthrough year if he is to meet those sky high expectations.
“He’s absolutely got the talent,” says Jonathan Tannenwald, *The Philadelphia Inquirer*‘s football writer.
He is close to Sullivan’s family and has monitored his progress since the first whispers that the club were hothousing a “special talent”.
“What we don’t know yet – or we have only seen in glimpses – is whether he can do it against guys twice his age.”
# ‘Sullivan won’t be the next Adu’
Alongside the hype there has been scepticism.
It is incredibly tricky to predict the trajectory of wonderkids.
Freddy Adu, hailed as the next Pele when he emerged at the age of 14 only to become a journeyman in Europe’s lower leagues, remains a cautionary tale.
“He won’t be the next Adu,” Tannenwald says.
“The infrastructure of the league, the coaching staff, the academy structure, the education and support is on another level from what it was 21 years ago.”
# A major signing coup
City – who have invested more than £3.5m in the deal – continue to monitor his progress closely and invited him to Manchester in the summer to train with their under-23s.
They beat off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as a clutch of rival Premier League clubs, to persuade his family that they were the right place for his development.
In an illustration of the meticulous work that goes into their academy recruitment, they presented “incredible” data that benchmarked Sullivan against other players of his age and showed him why they wanted him.
Sullivan is only 16 and they’re already crying about his playing time at city. He’s on loan at Philadelphia until he’s 18 anyway I believe
Crazy how we will have had him for 3 years before he ever properly trains with us. Glad he’s stayed close tk family. That will certainly help him more than any u23 football or coaches in Europe