Newcastle United's 17-year-old winger Alfie Seldon has made an outstanding start to the season, scoring five goals and registering two assists in six under-18 appearances for Chris Moore's side.
That form earned him a step up to under-21 level, where he scored his first goal in the National League Cup against Solihull Moors and played a key role in the EFL Trophy win over Rotherham United.
Rising Through the Ranks
Seldon is competing with highly-rated talents such as Kyran Thompson and Michael Mills, who were named on the first team bench in September's 2-1 win over Hull City, as well as soon-to-be Brazil youth international Matheos Ferreira and Scotland youth international Johnny Emerson.
The teenager recently signed his first professional contract at St James' Park and hopes to use his positive start as a platform to impress.
Inspired by Vardy
Seldon cites Burnley forward Jamie Vardy, who won the Premier League with Leicester City and represented England at both the European Championships and the World Cup, as one of his biggest inspirations.
"I was a big fan of Jamie Vardy as a kid," Seldon told the official Newcastle United matchday programme. "I loved his attitude and desire to score goals.
"Everyone remembers watching the season Leicester won the Premier League and he was unbelievable to watch. He was scoring in every game, breaking a record [for scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League games] and I even loved watching him during the season after that.
"He signed for them from Fleetwood after spending a lot of years in non-league and it shows just because one thing doesn't go well, it is not the end of your journey and you can come back."
Derby Motivation
Seldon featured in Newcastle under-21s' win over Sunderland at St James' Park last month, a match watched by first team head coach Matthias Jaissle.
"My best strengths as a footballer would be I am very hard working - I will run as much as I can," Seldon added. "In front of goal, wherever that is, I think I am quite prolific and always back myself to score.
"This season I have scored a lot of goals already. I have five goals in six games for the under-18s and I have scored my first goal for the under-21s. In order to get better, I need to maintain my performances and keep my confidence high.
"Beating Sunderland at St James' Park was such a brilliant feeling. It was a big result against our local rivals and credit to our fans that came along to St James' - they made a lot of noise and created a great atmosphere. On the pitch, we gave them something to cheer about.
"That was the biggest crowd I have ever played in front of and it is an experience I won't forget. When you play in front of 5,000 people, it only drives you to want to play in front of 52,000 that are usually at the first team games."
