THE apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
Like his famous dad, Charlie Savage, 18, is making waves in the football world – and is currently starring at Manchester United.
The talented youngster was called up to the Wales U18 squad to face England on March 29, and gave a good account of himself despite the Dragons losing 2-0.
Famously, his father, BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage, was a member of the Class of ’92 side featuring the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes.
Savage Sr, 46, also got 39 caps for Wales – playing for clubs including Leicester City, Birmingham City and Derby County during his career.
And Charlie even shares his old man’s position – playing in central midfield, where he loves to break up the play.
LOVES A TACKLE
Ex–pro Robbie was famous for his tough-tackling style and his energy on the pitch.
What he lacked in skill, he made up for with high-energy displays.
Similarly, Charlie is a box-to-box midfielder who loves a tackle and isn’t afraid to get stuck in.
However, he’s got a bit more to his game in terms of being a creative spark and is a good passer of the ball.
In 15 appearances for United’s U18 side this season, Charlie has four assists and two goals to his name.
His first goal for the club in a 4-1 win over Newcastle was celebrated by Robbie on Twitter.
“Proud of my boy, keeps going, keeps working hard, keeps listening to his coaches, he’s starting to get his rewards,” he captioned a video of Charlie’s strike.
He amusingly added: “Better finisher than his dad.”
KING KONG
In 2018, Savage was part of a team of first-year United scholars that travelled to Hong Kong for a tournament.
The Red Devils competed in the Jockey Club Youth Football Academy Summit, and managed to win it.
Charlie impressed in the competition against local sides and started every game.
United thrashed the HK Academy 6-1, beat HK All-Stars in the semi-finals and then overcame Guandong Under-17s 3-0 in the final.
LEICESTER-BORN, WELSH FUTURE
Charlie was born in Leicester in 2003, a year after Robbie left the Foxes to play for Birmingham.
But, proud of his father’s roots, he’s looking into follow in his footsteps and play for the Wales national team.
In September 2019, he made his debut for their U17 side – and played five times.
He impressed for the Dragons, who qualified for the elite round before it was postponed due to Covid-19
Charlie was called up to the U18 team for a match against the Three Lions on March 29.
Wales Under-18s had not played for more than 20 years since Neville Southall was in charge of the side back in 2000 but the age group has been relaunched with changes to Uefa’s tournament structure.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
