FORMER Weymouth Youth goalkeeper Adam Parkes has been selected to represent England Under-17s for their upcoming Algarve Tournament, pitting his wits against some of the best young talent across Europe.

The 16-year-old shot-stopper was unearthed by coach Tim Davis, who recruited him to play for Weymouth Youth before being eventually snapped up by Southampton, where he is well thought of by the academy coaching staff at St Mary’s.

He is set to follow in the footsteps of Premier League stars James Ward-Prowse, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers, who all travelled to the tournament to represent England during their youth careers.

Parkes, who is a regular for the Saints’ under-16s as well as acting as cover for the under-18s on the bench this term, will join up with his England team-mates at St George’s Park ahead of their departure.

The youngster told Echosport: “I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity.

“It’s an honour to represent my club and country and I am excited to see what the future holds.”

Youth coach Davis, who spotted the talented goalkeeper when he was around six, said: “I just went to Holy Trinity to do an after-school club, met him there and took him to Weymouth Youth.

“I knew straight away he had the ability.”

There was one particular moment that stood out for Davis at a Terras’ home game, where Parkes shone in front of the home crowd at half-time.

“We did a penalty shoot-out at one of Weymouth’s home games and we put him in goal with loads of kids taking shots at him,” Davis added.

“He just wowed the crowd and the kids just could not beat him.”

Davis added: “I have nothing but praise for him. He has shown the dedication and moved his career on.”

With Parkes in the national squad, England are set to take on Germany, the Netherlands and hosts Portugal.