Caleb Yirenkyi’s youth coach, Bashiru Mohammed, has revealed how he first spotted the Ghanaian youngster in 2015 at just eight years old and immediately recognised his exceptional talent.
Speaking on Akoma FM, Mohammed said Caleb stood out from his peers at a very young age, prompting him to deploy the youngster in the number 10 role because of his aggressiveness and ability to influence games.
“I spotted Caleb in 2015 when he was just eight years old, and even at that age, his talent was exceptional. I played him in the number 10 role because of his aggressiveness and his ability to influence the game,” he said.
Interestingly, Mohammed says he is now surprised by how calm and composed Caleb has become on the pitch, insisting that the youngster was much more aggressive during his early years.
“I am even surprised by how calm and composed he is on the pitch now because he was not like that when he was younger,” he added.
The coach also recalled Caleb’s leadership qualities, revealing that the youngster would take it upon himself to help his teammates improve after training sessions.
“Even at his age, after every training session, you would see Caleb gathering all the boys and correcting them on their individual mistakes. He was already showing great leadership qualities,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed further recounted how Caleb’s journey to the Right to Dream Academy nearly took a different turn after he was initially overlooked during the first trials.
According to him, Caleb was not selected during the first trial but was given an opportunity to take part in the academy’s examinations, where he successfully passed.
“During the first trials when Right to Dream came, Caleb was not selected. However, I managed to include him in the squad for their exams, and fortunately, he passed. During the second trial, he was selected, and from there, the rest, as they say, is history,” he explained.
From those early beginnings, Caleb has gone on to establish himself on the international stage, with his journey now reaching the English Premier League.
By Emmanuel Owusu|Akoma Sports|Onuaonlone.com|Ghana
