Man United, Tottenham Could Miss Out on Ryan Sessegnon If Fulham Win Promotion
Fulham star Ryan Sessegnon could turn down moves to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, if the Cottagers secure promotion to the Premier League this season.
Sessegnon has enjoyed a phenomenal season so far in the Championship. The 17-year-old has appeared 38 times in the league, scoring 14 goals and assisting a further five in those games.
Fulham are currently third in the Championship, seven points behind second-placed Cardiff whose position secures automatic qualification to the Premier League. The Cottagers, however, are still in a strong position to finish in the playoff places, with an eight-point gap separating them and Bristol City, who are in seventh.
Should Fulham manage to win promotion, it could boost their chances of keeping Sessegnon for at least another season. According to the Sun, the teenager could be convinced into turning down offers from the Premier League's top sides - if he can play top level football with his current club.
Sessegnon, who can play anywhere along the left hand side and has been likened to Gareth Bale, is being tracked by the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Should Fulham fail to earn promotion to the top flight then Sessegnon would supposedly prefer a move to Spurs, over their Premier League rivals. However, Liverpool have previously been given hope by the starlet's love of club legend Steven Gerrard.
The teenager's form this season has even raised talk that he could be included in England's World Cup squad for Russia this summer.
However, England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd believes he is not yet ready for that level, amid comparisons between him and Theo Walcott, who went to the World Cup in 2006 at the age of 17.
Boothroyd, who has given Sessegnon his first U21 call-up, feels that lessons must be learned from rushing players too quickly.
As quoted by the Daily Mail, the 47-year-old said: "There's a right time and a right place to see if he can maintain what he's doing. There are a lot of pitfalls on the way. So I think he's best to be judged at the end of his career when he's got 200 caps and everything else.
"He's got a long way to go yet. He's not ready for them yet. He's in exactly the right place at the right time for his club, playing plenty of games and getting plenty of experience for his country.
"He's clearly got something that is special and it's about making sure we keep his feet on the ground and not get too excited, make sure he doesn't get too excited - which I'm sure he won't - and we just progress him at the right pace."
