![Pakistan praises Easah’s induction in Aston Villa [Express Tribune]](https://footballpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/0102651343706200.jpg "Pakistan praises Easah’s induction in Aston Villa [Express Tribune]")
KARACHI: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Director Marketing Sardar Haider Naveed believes Easah Suliman, who recently signed a professional two-year contract with Aston Villa, will inspire footballers in Pakistan as well.
The 16-year-old British-Pakistani sealed the deal on Monday, which the PFF official said was great news for the Pakistani football fans. “We are very happy for him,” Naveed told The Express Tribune. “It’s great news. In fact I believe he can be an inspiration for our local players. He has been with the Aston Villa Academy ever since he was a kid.”
However, Naveed added that despite the player’s talent, he had never been on their radar.
“Easah is born and raised in the UK; his aim is to play for England. And frankly, I doubt he would want to play for Pakistan.”
The Villa website described Easah, who has previously captained the England U17 side, as, “a versatile defender who can operate either at centre-back or left-back. The 16-year-old, from Hall Green in Birmingham, has been with Villa since the age of eight. During the 2013-14 campaign, he represented Villa in both the Barclays U18 Premier League and the FA Youth Cup.”
Meanwhile, the PFF has been on the lookout for talented players overseas who are willing to play for Pakistan.
Even in the upcoming international fixtures for the country, including a friendly against Afghanistan on February 6 and World Cup qualifiers in March, Pakistan is willing to showcase former Fulham player Zesh Rehman, Hassan Bashir and two new additions, Otis Khan and Sami Malik.