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An unwavering show of faith and belief is set to reap its rewards for the grandfathers of Bournemouth's Lewis Cook and Liverpool's Harry Wilson, as their appearances on the international stage are set to return a healthy windfall for their family members.

Should Cook make his senior England debut against Italy on Tuesday, the 21-year-old will not only earn his first international cap but also see his grandfather, Trevor Burlingham, secure an impressive £17,000.

Although Cook had been struggling to cement his place in Leeds United's first team, his grandfather placed a £500 bet on the then teenager in 2014 to earn his senior bow for England before his 26th birthday.

With time on his side, Cook looks destined to come good on the bet as Joe Crilly, a spokesman for bookmakers William Hill said, via ESPN: "Lewis has obviously already had one call up but didn't win a cap and it now looks like a case of when, not if his grandfather is repaid for the faith he showed in his grandson.

"He has been in fine form this season and is well deserving of a call up, so let's hope he can go one better and bag a cap in the next few days."

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While Cook's story is impressive in its own right, the grandfather of Hull loanee Wilson went a few better by winning £125,000 after placing a bet that he would one day play for Wales when the 21-year-old was just 18 months old.

The blind faith paid dividends on Thursday as Wilson made his debut in the 6-0 thrashing of China, where he scored and provided an assist just to put a cherry on top. 

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