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Wales are locked in a tug-of-war with England for a teen wonder wanted by every big club in the land and who made history by playing in the League Cup at just 15 years of age on Tuesday night.

The race for Ethan Ampadu, captain of the successful Wales under-16 side, will hot up after he played a full 120 minutes for Exeter in their 1-0 cup upset over Championship Brentford.

In making his debut at just 15 years, 10 months and 26 days, Ampadu broke an 88-year-old club record held by Cliff Bastin as the Exeter's youngest player. His feat came as he is about to enter Year 11 and his GCSEs in high school - and he was even named man of the match.

Described as a cross between Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, Ampadu is being trailed by Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.

But there is also an international clamour for his services, with Wales trying to resist England overtures for the highly-rated midfield ace.

Ampadu has come through the Welsh system, playing for the under-14s, under-15s, under-16s and under-17s, but has also been invited by England to join their youth set-up.

Ampadu, from Exeter, is the son of former Swansea midfielder Kwame Ampadu, who made 144 appearances for the Welsh club between 1994-98. He qualifies for Wales because it is the land of his mother's birth, but could also represent the Republic of Ireland and Ghana.

However, Wales are hopeful a charm offensive they are conducting with their best young players will convince Ampadu to stay with the Dragons and throw his lot into the red shirt at senior level, too.

Ampadu was invited to train with Gareth Bale and the rest of the senior squad ahead of Euro 2016. Welsh boss Chris Coleman has also made a point of taking the youngster into the Cardiff City Stadium dressing room ahead of games to give him a feel of what it is like to be a top Wales player.

It is part of what Welsh youth guru Chris Whitley, who has been involved in age-grade football for 40 years, describes as 'an advanced development package' for the best young talent.

"So many of these young players are dual qualified," explains Whitley, Head of the FAW's International Board. "It's one thing identifying the player, but what do we do to keep him?

"We make sure we have the best programme, the best preparation, travel and hotels. We make them feel valued and wanted.

"And because of our success in the Euros, these young players realise they don't have to play for England any more to reach a major finals at senior level. We can do it with Wales, too.

"Chris Coleman is brilliant in the work he does with them. There is a 20 minute window before matches when he takes them into the dressing room, where Ampadu meets the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, is made to feel part of the whole set-up."

Ampadu was skipper of the Welsh under-16 side that beat England to win the Victory Shield for the first time in 66 years and is so highly rated that he was elevated into the under-17 side a year early.

He was a kingpin in that team too as they beat France for the first time in history.

Ampadu is described as a player who falls in between Wales Euro aces Ramsey and Allen. Like Allen he sits deep and, but like Ramsey he is a beautiful passer, has great vision and is seen as a classic midfield playmaker.

He doesn't score the goals Ramsey does, but has impressed so much that England are also in the hunt and trying to persuade him to play for the Three Lions. He has attended a couple of English age-grade camps.

Ultimately, the international decision will be down to Ampadu and his close advisers, but Wales are optimistic that the systems they have in place these days and the fact the player has been with the senior squad will sway the day.

Ironically, despite shining as a midfielder for Wales youth, Ampadu's landmark debut for Exeter against Brentford came as a centre-back.

He played for the whole 120 minutes as the cup tie went to extra-time and was named man-of-the-match for a stunning debut display as Exeter kept a clean sheet against opponents two divisions higher.

Exeter manager Paul Tisdale beamed: "The remarkable thing is he is not necessarily a centre-back. He's one of those players that can play in four or five positions.

"Often these 15 or 16-year-old players who come through early tend to be, as a sweeping generalisation, a quick sparky winger where you're not risking too much by playing him.

"When it's a centre-back, you have to trust them, and the biggest compliment I could give him is that he plays like a 35-year-old.

"Let's not forget, he's still at school and he's on school holidays."

Kwame Ampadu was something of a Swans icon, with a special chant sung about him to the tune of Black Lace's 1984 party hit Agadoo.