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| Ibou Touray |
English
Premier League club Everton have signed Gambian defender Ibou Touray on a
one-year contract, this blog
can reveal.
Touray became the latest Everton academy graduate to sign a professional
contract with the Liverpool-based club.
The full-back, 18, has put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal –
the fifth youngster this summer to agree senior terms.
The left-sided full-back, who has been a regular for the
U18s and also broke into Alan Stubbs’s U21 side last season, came to the attention
of Everton scouts playing ironically, against the Blues as a trainee for
Liverpool and has been in the academy for three years.
Touray told the club’s official website: “I was on trial at
Liverpool for three months and I played against Everton. A few days later my
dad got a phone call asking if I wanted to sign a scholarship. I said yes
because I thought it was a better choice than Liverpool.”
“I’m delighted [to get a professional deal]. I came from
playing Sunday league three years ago, so it’s a good achievement in such a
short space of time.”
Touray was a regular for the Under-18s last season and also
made eight appearances for the Under-21s.
Already likened to Real Madrid’s sturdy Brazilian stopper
Marcelo for his solid and dependable qualities, the 18-year-old was part of the
Everton side which travelled to the United States and reached the last four of
the Dallas Cup.
By virtue of his other parent being a Gambian native, this
qualifies him to adorn the Red, White, Blue and Green jersey of the Gambia
Scorpions, although he could also play for England.
Touray becomes the second Gambian to sign for a top English club
after Omar Koroma became the first Gambian to play in the Premier League after
been signed by then Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp in 2008.
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