Tuesday 2 October 2018 18:49, UK
Fulham believe their relationship with Harvey Elliott and his family is strong enough to secure his long-term future with the club, Sky Sports News understands.
The 15-year-old became their youngest-ever player when he came on as a substitute in the Carabao Cup last week and the England U16 is considered one of the country's brightest prospects.
But Elliott is not eligible for scholarship terms until next July nor his first professional contract until he turns 17 in April 2020, and he has attracted interest from big clubs at home and abroad.
Fulham are not worried about the potential for him to be lured away from Craven Cottage, according to a Sky source, having looked after the player since 2013 and carefully planned out his pathway into the first team.
After impressing in first-team training in pre-season, Elliott was invited to the club's training camp in Spain and scheduled to play 45 minutes in a match against Indian Super League team ATK, where he proved he could mix it with the adults.
It was at this point the club's technical staff planned to use him in the EFL Trophy and Carabao Cup, Sky Sports News has learned, and he played 45 minutes against Wycombe in the former before making his senior debut in the latter's third-round win at Millwall last week.
Fulham are beginning to bring through a number of promising youngsters despite spending more than any other promoted club in Premier League history in the summer.
Ryan Sessegnon is now established in the first team at 18 and both his brother Steven and playmaker Luca de la Torre are not far behind, with manager Slavisa Jokanovic keen to use them where he can this term.
Jokanovic has insisted that Elliott has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of Sessegnon, but Fulham see Elliott as an integral part of their future.
