The young right-back joined Wolves in the pre-academy phase and has gone on to establish himself in James McPike’s under-18s, while receiving opportunities to train with the under-21s. Shahar has also shone on the international stage, featuring regularly for England under-16s, winning silverware after competing in last month’s Development Cup in Paphos. The Young Lions defeated hosts Cyprus, Scotland and Denmark to lift the trophy and Ryan, who flew out to watch the defender on behalf of Wolves, has praised Shahar’s consistency and the ability of the academy to continually produce players for the international stage.
On Shahar’s performances for club and country
“Every time I watch him playing for England he looks comfortable within the environment. We know how good he is technically and yes there are things he needs to improve on, but the more camps he’s on and the more call-ups he’s getting, the more comfortable he’s looking.
“His performances are really consistent with the under-18s and he’s getting opportunities now to train with the 21s on the school release days.
“It’s great to go and see him in that environment with some of the best players in the country.”
On receiving feedback from England
“I didn’t watch the last game, but he played 90 minutes in the last game against Denmark, so it’s a great opportunity and experience for him.
“I try and speak to the staff while I’m out there. I get around the technical and support staff and the feedback we had from his education sessions was really good.
“It’s pleasing for me to report back to our education department that he’s really taking his education seriously. It’s an important year for his exams.
“We get the reports and feedback from some of the staff and it’s positive.
“He’s been picked on a lot of recent camps because he’s very consistent. He’s performing for us and that’s being seen by the staff and coaches.”
On international recognition throughout the academy
“It’s the same for Brayden Clarke who’s just been called up for the under-17s qualifiers for Wales, so he goes away in a couple of weeks which will be a great opportunity for him.
“Makenzie Bradbury is with Wales under-16s, Leon Chiwome with England under-17s and Nathan Fraser and Jimmy Storer have received Ireland under-19 call-ups, although unfortunately Jimmy is currently injured. Dylan Scicluna’s been with Australia and Lucas Scicluna has been called up to Malta under-19s, while we also received the fantastic news of Dexter Lembikisa and Tyler Roberts getting senior call-ups to Jamaica.
“It’s recognition now for how well they’re doing for their club and how they’re developing. It shows how the academy has progressed over the years and we’re getting recognition internationally now.”
