A TALENTED young football star from Ellesmere Port has been picked to play with Manchester United – at the age of just seven.

Eva Bold, a Year 2 pupil of Brookside Primary School, was scouted to train with the Manchester United Girls Football team last week following her impressive performances playing for Vauxhall Motors in the U7s league – a league almost entirely populated with boys.

Eva also regularly trains at Elite Player Development's group sessions and has built up her skills in the EPD Girls Masterclass through rain, snow and sunshine.

Proud dad John explained how Eva's dedication had earned her the dream opportunity.

He said: "It's something she wants to do and does it five days a week and I'm very supportive of her. She is a Manchester United fan, as am I, and we go to each home game, as well as the Manchester United Women's games.

"It was very unusual as normally the scouts pick ones to go for a trial, but she was picked to go straight into the girls team, and Vauxhall's have been very good to her.

"She was at a tournament in Birkenhead over the weekend and her team won. There must have been about 120 coaches, and most coaches there said she was the player of the tournament."

The call-up, John believes, is positive proof of encouraging more girls and women to take up the sport themselves.

He said: "If we could get more girls involved in football, that can only be a good thing. There is nothing to be ashamed about it, women can play at a really high standard, I think it's brilliant and Eva can be an advocate for girls football."

John added Eva, who has been playing football since she was four, was unfazed by the opportunity.

"She has been taking it all in her stride," John said. "It would be very different if it was me; she is more interested in doing the training and then getting a KFC! She is surrounded by Liverpool FC fans at school but she doesn't mind."