Na’im Zuill made a dream start after scoring on his debut for Bolton Wanderers under-14 academy team in a 2-0 win away to Blackpool on Wednesday.

The 14-year-old midfielder scored the second goal in his first outing since joining Bolton’s academy set-up exactly a week ago.

“‘I am happy to now be with Bolton Wanderers in their academy,” Zuill told The Royal Gazette.

“I had many choices but Bolton felt like the best fit. They explained to me and my mother [Carla Zuill] that they were rebuilding and saw me as a part of their rebuild.”

The left-sided player began his career as a six-year-old at Dandy Town, who fall under the auspices of parent club Western Stars Sports Club, where president Devarr Boyles first spotted his potential.

“I am excited for him and his family,” Boyles said.

“When he first got there, they put him in front of the scouts at Manchester City and Manchester United, and they were all raving about him.

“Everybody wanted him, so I knew he would land somewhere and that he would find his level.”

Zuill chose to continue his development at Bolton’s academy under the elite player performance plan following the closure of Oldham Athletic’s academy, where he had been since 2018, owing to a lack of funding.

The Bermuda Under-15 player began training with the Sky Bet League One outfit’s under-15 and under-16 sides just 24 hours after officially joining their ranks and has adjusted well to his new surroundings as he hopes to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Nahki Wells, whom Boyles considers a role model and inspiration.

“The great thing about Nahki is he always makes himself available to Bermudians, period, but someone coming from his home club, obviously he would avail himself a little bit more to them,” he said.

“I think Nahki is the real role model if you listen to how he presents himself in front of the media. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to watch how he takes time when people invite him to functions here in Bermuda, he makes his appearance, he makes his time, he speaks to the level, he signs and then he moves on.

“All of that speaks to someone who has been in a professional environment and they understand that time is time; you do your time and move on. So I know Nahki has given the people who call him those nuggets and only professional footballers can provide that insight into the industry, which I think is important.

“If he [Zuill] isn’t taking the opportunity to speak to fellow professionals, whether it’s Nahki or other Bermudians in the UK, then I would encourage everyone to do that because they have lived it. They know the story, the pitfalls, and it’s always better to get it first hand from them.”