Here's Looking At You Kid

"Roo kid on the block" was the 'imaginatively' titled headline in The Sun of the story about a nine year old Australian boy, Rhain Davis, who is being hailed as a child football prodigy.

Apparently his grandfather sent a DVD of him playing to Old Trafford and now he has been offered a place in the Manchester United squad for little people, the Red Devils.

He is not the first child to be hailed as a future superstar. In 2005 it was a lad called Jean Carolos Chera from Brazil.

Of course it is no guarantee that they will develop into top flight international players. As one football agent says:

"A lot of kids have talent but it's an overrated attribute. When you get older, other things come into play like attitude and stickability."

Joe Cole of course was one such child and he is doing alright.

It's not always a happy ending though. Take Sonny Pike. He hit the headlines as a seven-year-old and was invited to train with Ajax's renowned academy. He was subsequently overwhelmed by the pressure, however, and suffered a nervous breakdown before abandoning professional football altogether. He is now studying for a psychology degree at Dundee University.

Let's hope Rhain has better support around him to protect him.