This Tuesday marked a monumental wave of success for young forward Christian Norton.
For the first time, Norton received a call-up to Paul Bodin’s Wales U21 set-up. This will see the Red Dragons host the Republic of Ireland in a friendly at Wrexham next Friday.
Though the gleaming fortunes did not stop there for the 19-year old, who made his Championship debut later that evening in his side’s 0-0 draw at Cardiff City.
At the Bet 365 Stadium, Norton is evidently a player growing in trust and belief.
Before receiving his opening taste of Championship football, the youngster had featured on the bench for Stoke in clashes against Barnsley, Brentford, Swansea and Middlesbrough.
Perhaps, it is a tale of fate that his senior bow was registered in the Welsh Capital. Further down the line, the Potters prospect will undoubtedly harbour avid ambitions of representing Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Prior to his recent progression to the U21 squad, Norton was a part of Wales’ U18 squad, for whom he grabbed two goals in nine appearances.
And in twelve matches in the Premier League 2 Division 2, Norton has made an impression by finding the back of the net on four occasions.
Although Norton is a centre-forward by trade, the 19-year old has also featured out wide and in the attacking midfield role. Interestingly, in the youngster’s sole outing in that berth to date, he went on to grab a brace against Wolverhampton Wanderers U23’s back in January.
Without a doubt, it is a testament to the esteemed regard in which Norton is held in that, merely a few months after joining the Staffordshire club, he has already been licensed with an introduction to senior football.
Previously, the versatile attacker spent time on the books at Southampton before moving to the Midlands last October.
If Norton can continue his promising development, it seems that Tuesday’s debut will be the first of many to come.
(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)
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