Meet England and Arsenal’s proud Rastafarian who trained with Sam Allardyce’s squad
Learn more about the teen who trained with Wayne Rooney and Co... And his love of singing
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ENGLAND’s stars were put through their paces by Sam Allardyce this morning… But who was the mystery youngster mixing in with the Three Lions squad?
The relative unknown was Arsenal’s Tafari Moore, who is currently on international duty himself at St. George’s Park with the Under-20s.
Arsenal defender Moore would have just been finishing his breakfast with his team-mates at the national football centre when he received the call from Big Sam to get his boots.
Luke Shaw sat out the session, so the 19-year-old was given the opportunity to fill his boots and train with the seniors after impressing the watching Allardyce on Thursday for the U20s against Brazil.
Here is everything you need to know about youngster.
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Background
Moore was born on July 5 1997 and is from Brent in London.
He has strong Caribbean roots and comes from Jamaican and Barbadian descent.
And his dreadlocks are more than just a hair style… He is a proud Rastafarian.
Position
“Taf”, as he is known by team-mates, is a flying full-back who loves to get forward and help out the attack.
Naturally a right-back, he is equally capable of playing down the left and has performed there for club and country on numerous occasions.
Arsenal
He is a graduate of Arsenal’s Hale End academy and has been at the club since he was aged 12.
Moore made a great start to last season in the youth ranks and it looked like he would head out from the Gunners on loan until injury struck.
A torn ligament in his hip sidelined him for nearly seven months.
But he battled back to fitness before the end of the campaign and joined Dutch side Jong FC Utrecht on a season long loan last month.
International
Moore has been in and around the England set-up for a number of years now and will be hoping to establish himself in Gareth Southgate’s U21 side next season.
He was a key member of the England U17s squad that lifted the European Championship in 2014 and was named in the team of the tournament.
Since then he has gone on to represent his country at U18 and U19 level, and he won his first U20 cap in the 1-1 draw with the Samba Boys two days ago.
A second cap at that age group may arrive on Sunday when he and his fellow Young Lions face Brazil again at Kidderminster.
Entertainer
It’s not only on the football pitch that Moore entertains.
Blessed with a superb singing voice, the defender is not shy in showing it off. He has regularly entertained team-mates during international meet-ups by grabbing a mic and serenading the room.
A personal favourite of his was Mario’s Let Me Love You.
And he can also bust a move too, as you can see from the picture of him celebrating a Dominic Solanke goal at the Euros in 2014.