SOUTHEND United’s youth team chief Ricky Duncan has expressed his pride at seeing Dominic Iorfa selected in the England under 21 squad for the forthcoming Toulon Tournament in France.

Iorfa, who is a former St Thomas More High School pupil, spent four years in the Shrimpers youth set-up before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013.

But Duncan has kept an eye on the right back’s progress and is thrilled to see him pick up another international call up.

“It’s always a fantastic moment when somebody who came through our academy gets to pull on an England shirt and it’s exactly the same with Dominic,” said Duncan.

“I’ll be watching the games and it’s great for him to be involved.

“When he first came to the club he was athletically superb but he still had to work on his game a lot.

“He was always going to do that because he’s a great lad with a fantastic attitude and he’s done well at Wolves.

“Strength and shape wise he’s changed massively and it’s great to see him doing so well.”

The youngster’s fine form and international recognition has seen Iorfa linked with Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace.

But Duncan is not surprised by the speculation.

“With the way he plays I would think there would be a few different clubs watching him because he ticks a lot of boxes,” said Duncan, who last spoke with Iorfa at the Toulon under 20 tournament last year.

“We did all we could to keep hold of him ourselves but it was a good move for him aged 16 and it’s proved to be a good move for us as well.

“It’s worked out well for both parties and we continue to wish Dominic all the very best.

“We’re very proud of his achievements. “ England’s under 21 side kick off their Toulon Tournament campaign against Portugal on Thursday.

They will then face Guinea on May 23, Paraguay on May 25 and Japan on May 27, with the chance of another game in the final or third-place play-off on Sunday 29 May.