IT WAS CLEAR AS CHE HE’D BE A STAR
Ryan tips Adams to shine for Scotland after helping him open goal account
RYAN FLYNN knew Che Adams was destined for the top from the moment he teed the Scotland new boy up for his first goal in professional football.
Now the St Mirren midfielder is hoping his old Sheffield United team mate can continue his meteoric rise when he comes up against another ex-Bramall Lane whizzkid Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer. Adams and England ace Calvert-Lewin are on collision course at the Euros after Steve Clarke finally managed to convince the former that his international future lies with Scotland. Flynn shared a dressing room with both teenage prodigies in Sheffield. Six years on and Everton superstar Calvert-Lewin is the great new hope for the Three Lions while Southampton’s Adams, passed over by Gareth Southgate, has instead opted for the Lion Rampant. Both are now roaring in the EPL and Flynn can’t separate them. But back in January 2015 he was in awe when Adams made his big breakthrough with a double as the third tier Blades lost a League Cup semi-final thriller to Spurs. He said: “Che really made his mark that night and I’m not surprised in the slightest to see him doing it in the Premier League now.
“We ran Spurs so close in that semi-final. They had Vertonghen and Dier at the back but Che took his two goals really well after coming off the bench.
“I was playing right-back and managed to get a cross to the far post and he took it first time from a really tight angle.
“He’d only just come off the bench but within 10 minutes he’d scored a double to make it 2-2 on aggregate.
“Unfortunately Spurs scored right at the end of 90 minutes to go through to the final against Chelsea and it was just crushing disappointment in the dressing room afterwards.
“But for Che it was his big breakthrough.
“It’s scary to think he was only 18 back then. It was clear he was heading to the top.
“We were actually crying out for him to get more game time that season under Nigel Clough.
“There was another game at the end of that season, a play-off semifinal against Swindon, where he came on and scored a lastminute equaliser in an incredible 5-5 draw.
“He only got the last 15 minutes but he was different class and despite only being 18 and it being a high-pressure match he just oozed class and showed what a good footballer he was.
“It’s no surprise at all that Che has gone on to play in the Premier League and I’m just delighted he’s chosen to play for Scotland. It’s really exciting for the Tartan Army.
“There were a few talented youngsters at the club back then.
“Calvert-Lewin came up through the ranks and was training with us at 16. He went out on loan to Northampton and I only played a handful of games with him but again, like Che, you could see his class from an early age just in training.
“There’s not much between them age wise but
Che was established in the first team before Calvert-Lewin, who moved to Everton after just a few first-team games. “It’s crazy to think they could now come up against each other on the biggest of stages at the Euros. “It would be brilliant to see. Even better if Che helped Scotland to a win at Wembley. “Like any footballer they both want to play at the very highest level and Che clearly sees Scotland as the best way to do that. “If he can play at a major finals and show what he can do at the Euros then it can only be good for the player and the country. “I’m sure that will be one of the reasons that he’s made this decision.” It’s been a game of patience for Scotland since Alex McLeish first made contact with the then Birmingham striker more than two years ago. At that point Adams – who turned out twice for England at Under-20 level – was very much keeping his options open. But the SFA’s softly-softly approach appears to have paid off with Adams named in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands later this month.
It’s scary to think he was only 18 back then. We ran Spurs so close in that semi-final RYAN FLYNN ON HIS OLD SHEFFIELD PAL ADAMS
And Flynn reckons it’s a massive coup for boss Clarke.
He said: “Che’s strong, quick and a really good finisher with both feet.
“He likes to take it early, almost like a snap shot, so quick with very little back lift.
“I noticed it straight away and that’s the difference with players at the very top.
“We had no idea back then that he qualified for Scotland. If we did then I can assure you myself, Kevin McDonald and Jamie Murphy would have constantly been in his ear!”