BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – Suriname and Jamaica each claimed two picks among the eight players named from the Digicel Kick Start Clinic series for a training stint with English Premier League side Sunderland later this year.
Ruiz Dillon Fromoredio and Bruce Julianto Diporedjo from Suriname, and Jamaicans Omar Holness and Paul Wilson were named on Sunday for the September trip to Tyne-and-Wear.
They will be joined at the Academy of Light by Barbadian Diquan Adamson, Esso Amichy from Haiti, Kieron Phillip from St. Kitts & Nevis, and Ryan Frederick from Trinidad & Tobago.
“I’ve always said that the Caribbean has an undiscovered pool of football talent, and again this year, I’ve seen some great potential in these Under 16 players,” said John Barnes, the former England midfielder, who is the technical advisor for the clinics.
The Kick Start Clinics took place in six countries across the Caribbean during May and June, and during the 10 two-day clinics, Barnes observed and mentored players at the Under-16 level to select those that he believed possess the skill, determination, commitment, and attitude for which international scouts are looking.
“It was a tough decision to choose eight out of the 150 players that took part in the Kick Start Clinics to train in Sunderland, but I believe the eight footballers I have selected have the right amount of talent, desire and ambition to make it as professional players,” said Barnes.
“I’d like to wish them the best of luck and I really hope that I come across them again in the not too distant future playing for a leading football club.”
Needing to rebuild after a difficult season in which they barely managed to survive in the Premiership, Sunderland may find some talent that they could use from among the eight Caribbean ballers.
Chairman Niall Quinn said the club was delighted to host eight more young footballers from the Caribbean.
“The footballers that trained with us last year showed great talent, and I understand their football careers have gone from strength to strength over the last twelve months,” he said.
Barnes will now turn his attention to doing the same thing in the Central American region in August, when he will be scouting for talent for his former club Liverpool, where he played with distinction.
