Solomon Islands football coach Moses Toata says teenage sensation Raphael Le'ai will not be fast-tracked into the senior team.
The 16 year starred for his country at last year's OFC Under 16 Championship in Honiara, where he finished as the top goal-scorer and was named the outstanding player of the tournament.
Raphael Le'ai competes for the ball during the OFC Under 16 Championship in 2018. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
He also represented Solomon Islands in futsal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
Le'ai joined the Wellington Phoenix football academy earlier this month, after moving to New Zealand to take up an academic scholarship at Scots College.
Raphael Le'ai has also represented Solomon Islands in futsal. Photo: OFC via Phototek
Moses Toata has been keeping a close watch on Oceania's most exciting young talent and said, while many have demanded he be called into the senior team, there's no need to rush his development.
"Raphael is a very young player. He's got a lot of potential at the moment but we are not ready to use him as yet," he said.
"We don't want to burn him early and we let him develop in the (Wellington Phoenix) academy where they have far better facilities...we always keep watching him, his development."
Raphael Le'ai's development is set to take a step up on Friday when he trains alongside the Wellington Phoenix senior team.
