England U17s came calling for Preston North End starlet Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe says England tried to call-up young forward Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile, who has gone away with Argentina under-17s for the first time.

The 16-year-old was born in Brazil, to Argentine parents and is eligible to represent both of those countries as well as Spain. News of his call-up to Diego Placente’s squad was confirmed on Monday, with Argentina taking on Boca in a friendly this week as they gear up for the FIFA U17 World Cup - taking place in Indonesia at the end of this year.

Rodriguez-Gentile is a first year scholar at PNE but has plenty of first-team experience under his belt already, having trained with the senior squad and featured heavily in pre-season matches. He first grabbed the headlines by scoring five goals against Rotherham, in the FA Youth Cup back in December of last year. Fast forward nine months and Rodriguez-Gentile finds himself on the international scene.

”He actually got a call-up to England believe it or not," said Preston boss Ryan Lowe. "He couldn't go, because he never had a passport. It was a couple of days before the Argentina call-up. We always knew he was getting the Argentina call up, but he got a call-up for England and I think that prompted Argentina to say: 'Woah, he's ours, not yours' if you like.

“So, yeah, England are obviously monitoring him as well as probably Brazil and Spain. But, I think his first choice was to go to Argentina, so fair play to him. He has been wary of that and he's been fantastic - long may that continue. We've had a couple of call-ups and standbys for the youngsters, which is a bonus. With the first team lads as well, the more internationals you get, the better."