Taylor Harwood-Bellis childhood incident practising DIVING that convinced dad Roy Keane’s son-in-law could be footballer

TAYLOR HARWOOD-BELLIS has had a sensation of beingness astatine the top.

Now England’s latest new-boy indispensable crook his attraction to taking connected the champion successful the Premier League close present — and assistance displacement Southampton disconnected the bottom.

The 22-year-old became the EIGHTH subordinate to beryllium handed a Three Lions debut during Lee Carsley’s interim spell successful complaint erstwhile coming connected against the Republic of Ireland connected Sunday successful the Nations League.

And helium followed up Liverpool’s Curtis Jones’ feat versus Greece by besides marking his bow with a goal to headdress a blistering 5-0 win.

Returning to the world of Saints’ relegation conflict indispensable person been immoderate comedown aft specified a high, peculiarly with imperious league-leaders the Reds up next.

But portion Harwood-Bellis is inactive buzzing to person proved helium tin premix it with the elite successful this country, it is already conscionable a representation up of Arne Slot’s winning instrumentality — implicit with a bang-in-form Mo Salah — rocking up astatine St Mary’s connected Sunday.

The centre-back told BBC Radio Solent this week: “England is the pinnacle. The champion English players, the champion successful the satellite are each determination successful 1 dressing room.

“I’ve conscionable got to absorption connected Liverpool. I’m not excessively atrocious astatine changing focus. Me scoring for England has not hidden the information that we’re bottommost of the league and we’ve got a large crippled connected Sunday. That’s each my focus.”

Brighton-born Southampton brag Russell Martin joked that Harwood-Bellis has hardly stopped talking astir it since his returning to grooming this week.

Martin, who won 29 Scotland caps, said: “We person to marque definite helium keeps his feet connected the crushed but everyone’s truthful blessed for him.

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“If I’d played for England for 10 minutes, I wouldn’t person unopen up astir it either.

“I’d hammered successful Scotland for saying that, wouldn’t I? I was truly arrogant to play for Scotland, truthful marque definite that goes successful there!

“I did observe his goal. We were each immensely arrogant of him astatine the club.

“I spot his mum and dada astatine games truthful erstwhile I spot them next, I’m definite I’ll springiness them a hug and accidental congratulations.

“I cognize they’ll beryllium highly arrogant and they cognize he’s successful bully hands present  with the magnitude of attraction and emotion helium gets.”

Harwood-Bellis’ headed extremity astatine Wembley has been the speech of Saints’ grooming basal this week, with team-mate Flynn Downes starring the banter.

Midfielder Downes, 25, went to Wembley with Harwood-Bellis’ friends and household connected Sunday arsenic ex-Manchester City starlet Taylor made his archetypal appearance.

It was fortunate helium had not made it against Greece successful Athens 3 days earlier, other his dada Martin and mum Tina would person missed it, having already booked a vacation to Cape Verde.

Harwood-Bellis is different occurrence communicative to travel retired of Stockport, on with chap England internationals Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo.

Dad Martin, who utilized to beryllium Stockport County’s mascot Vernon Bear sensed his lad mightiness person a aboriginal successful the crippled arsenic a toddler.

He revealed to BBC Radio Manchester: “The very, precise aboriginal signs were erstwhile helium was 18 months aged and helium was pretending to dive similar a Premiership footballer.

“He dived and broke his leg. A flimsy fracture. He had a plaster connected his leg, I’ve inactive got the plaster, it’s lone truthful big. He was inactive kicking a shot with a plaster connected and helium was kicking it consecutive to me. In information helium was kicking it amended than I was kicking it to him and I had 2 bully legs!”

Harwood-Bellis’ aged antheral besides revealed however his lad utilized to survey shot shows similar Match of the Day, arsenic good arsenic what helium saw from watching Stockport live, and instrumentality what helium had learnt astatine section broadside Spurley Hey.

The youngster’s endowment was rapidly spotted and by six helium had joined City.

He was playing for England by Under-15 level, successful an property radical that included Tino Livramento, Morgan Rogers, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer and besides had Jude Bellingham playing a twelvemonth up.

Harwood-Bellis’ enactment qualities — attributes his aboriginal father-in-law Roy Keane would admit — saw him regularly named skipper  for nine and country.

He was known for his dedication, mounting of standards successful grooming and however vocal helium was connected the transportation arsenic good arsenic subject disconnected it.

That sees him inactive contiguous inspect the labels of each nutrient astatine his parents’ location for abdominous contented earlier eating it. City rated him highly but fixed the contention successful Pep Guardiola’s archetypal team, a bid of loans began earlier 1 which ended successful a imperishable determination to Saints.

At Anderlecht and Burnley, the defender learned astir item and a relentless thrust to triumph from moving with Vincent Kompany.

Phil Jagielka taught him astir the acheronian arts of defending astatine Stoke.

It was astonishing to spot nary Premier League broadside motion him 2 summers ago, aft helium had captained England to Under-21 Euros glory.

More carnal defenders with a quicker apical velocity implicit the archetypal ten-15 metres were favoured.

But that overlooked Harwood-Bellis awesome speechmaking of the game, with 1 of his  former coaches telling SunSport: “Taylor ever has an other gait successful his head.”

Southampton, past a Championship side, did not initially deliberation they would beryllium capable to pull Harwood-Bellis.

That was until a season-long indebtedness deal, with a £20million imperishable enactment connected  promotion, was projected via TransferRoom, the integer shot marketplace that much than 700 clubs worldwide use.

Sam Stanton, Saints’ caput of scouting  operations, said astatine the time: “We ne'er thought he’d beryllium disposable to us. So erstwhile helium was pitched to us, we were truly excited consecutive away.”