ITCHEN College student Jean-Luc Ramdin put the disappointment of being released by Saints firmly behind him by celebrating his England Under-18 Schoolboys debut with a 5-2 victory over Australia.

He played the entire match as England came from behind to win – and hopes he did enough to impress selectors ahead of the upcoming International Centenary Shield matches against the Irish, Scotland and Wales.

The talented right-sided defender joined Itchen in September from Mountbatten School in Romsey, who also produced Saints prospect Sam McQueen.

“I came to Itchen from Mountbatten because they are the best sports college in the county, as I believed this would give me the best platform to develop both as an athlete and educationally,” he explained.

“I used to play for Baddesley Park (who are now joined with Romsey Town) before I signed my first contract for Southampton at eight years of age.

“I was at Southampton for eight years but didn’t receive a scholarship to continue, so I decided to focus on going to college with the aim of gaining a scholarship to the USA.“But this plan can change depending on opportunities that may arise.”

Ramdin, 17, who is studying PE, business and economics at Itchen, was joined in the England squad by Hampshire county teammate Jordan Ngalo, from Portsmouth.

Despite being released by Saints, Ramdin is still setting his sights on a soccer career.

He added: “My ambition is definitely to become a professional footballer and I don’t mind being patient to wait to the right breakthrough.

“Playing for England Schoolboys was a massive step for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.“We trained at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre and, fingers crossed, I’ll be selected for a further training camp at Manchester City’s Carrington complex in advance of the Home Internationals.”