IS JAMIE Maclaren the next big thing in Australian football?
He’s 16, he’s scored a hat-trick against Manchester United and in July he starts a two-year contract with Blackburn Rovers. The Sunbury teenager has taken to the professional stage with aplomb and a few short weeks after playing for Blackburn’s under-16s he was promoted to become the youngest member of the club’s youth team. He’s already caught the eye of the Rovers’ coaching staff and has trained with the reserves and the seniors. He’s also attracted the attention of both Scotland and England. He qualifies for Scotland through his father and for Malta through his mother. The Scottish FA has been in contact with Rovers while England’s under-17s head coach, John Peacock, ended his interest abruptly when told that Maclaren had a Scottish background. So are we about to see yet another tug of war between countries vying for a prodigious Aussie-born talent? “I’m obviously Australian and would love to play for Australia but since I’ve been at Blackburn no-one from Australia has contacted me,
