Just days after making his mark for Leyton Orient in the FA Youth Cup, Scott Kashket was whisked off to Israel for a trial with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Now the in-demand Maccabiah starlet could follow in the footsteps of another Team GB youngster, Jake Lewis, who recently completed a dream move to Maccabi Haifa.
The teenager from Chigwell, was this week put through his paces and shown around the facilities at Maccabi. He swapped the rain of Londonfor the heat of Tel Aviv after starring for Orient in the 3-0 win over AFC Totten.
Kashket was the star man against the minnows, scoring one and setting up the other two, and just a few days later he followed up with two more goals and an assist against Southend.
Scott Shulton coached Kashket in the under-18 football competition at the Maccabiah. He said: "Scott is the kind of player you cannot leave out of your team. He’s a great little flair player and there are not many Jewish players like him."
He has a great change of pace, excellent close control and knows how to put the back into the back of the net.
Orient, we understand, have tabled an offer for Kashket, but Shulton warned: “It’s important Scott finds the right club that suits his style of play. In England I think he would be treated as a luxury player, while in countries such as Spain he would be a regular.
"His best position is behind the striker, but he can also play out wide. He has a great change of pace, excellent close control and knows how to put the back into the back of the net. He smashed it in Israel for us and we wouldn’t have won the bronze medal without him."
Kashket recently left Wingate & Finchley under-21’s following a spell at Hercules in Spain. He is expected to return to the UK in time for Orient’s FA Youth Cup match against Swindon on Monday.
Head coach of Queens Park Rangers under-12’s academy team, Shulton believes Kashket has the credentials to make it in the professional game. “He’s been training with Orient at lot recently and if he’s given the right advice and the right club, he could do really well,” he said. “It comes down to his drive, dedication and commitment.”
Should he opt for Orient, Kashket would join a club with a rich tradition of Jewish players, including Albert Goodman, Arnold Siegel, Mark Lazarus, Dave Metchick and Barry Silkman.
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