A FOOTBALLING prodigy from Flintshire is now being hotly-tipped for greatness with both club and country.

Vimal Yoganathan is the first player of Sri Lankan Tamil descent to play for a professional club in the UK.

Back in January of this year, the 18-year-old penned a two-and-a-half-year contract with EFL League One side Barnsley, who hold him in high regard.

And he proved his worth just last month when he netted his first goals for the club - a double in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United's under 21's in a EFL Trophy clash.

His professional debut for the The Tykes came in August of last year in an EFL Cup match against Tranmere Rovers.

But, the journey to the EFL all began in Flintshire for this young man.

Vimal is from the village of Trelawnyd and began his journey to the top by playing indoor football at Holywell Leisure Centre when he was just four years old.

He then went on to play for Connah's Quay Nomads and the Prestatyn Town academy - but it wasn't long before his exceptional talent caught the eye of a Premier League club.

TOP STORIES TODAY

Vimal was scouted by Liverpool at the age of just six years old and, having impressed the club, officially signed to their club's academy two years later.

The picture at the top of this article - from the Newsquest archives - shows him aged eight signing the contract in front of then-manager of Liverpool Brendan Rodgers.

However, it has been at Barnsley that the central midfielder has been shown the most faith.

Having worked his way up through the academy there, winning the under 18's division, he signed his first professional deal in 2022.

This season, he has earned rave reviews from Barnsley fans and staff alike who expect him to make quite the impression in their matches to come.

Although he is of Sri Lankan descent, he has spent his entire career to date playing for the Wales youth set up thanks to his Flintshire roots.

He regularly plays for the under 19's side, with his latest cap coming in a 2-2 draw v Turkmenistan on Saturday (September 7).

Great things are expected of him, so it's worth keeping an eye out on Barnsley this season.