Ireland wowed by Benfica gem, manager has no doubts: natural scorer | OneFootball

Jaden Umeh - who could renew his contract at Luz - continues to catch the eye while playing for Benfica’s youth teams and is already starting to generate strong excitement in Ireland after being called up to his country’s senior national team for the first time. Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson explained the decision and had very high praise for the young Benfica forward.

"From what I’ve seen, he’s a player with enormous potential. We don’t know what his limit is, but I’m excited to work with him and understand what his limitations are," the Icelandic coach began, explaining his decision.

The 58-year-old manager also highlighted the impact Umeh has already had in Benfica’s youth sides. "From what I’ve seen in Benfica’s youth teams, he’s an exciting player. We’ll see if he’s ready to play in the first team," he said.

Hallgrímsson went even further in his analysis of the player’s profile. "First of all, Jaden is a natural goalscorer. He is physically strong and, even though he is young, he can help the team a lot with that ability. And then he has individual talent, with the ability to dribble and also to drive forward up the pitch. It will be interesting to work with him over the next 11 days.”

At just 18 years old, Jaden Umeh has already recorded 13 goals and five assists in 33 appearances for Benfica’s youth teams in 2025/26. Signed from Cork City in the summer of 2024, the forward is under contract with the Eagles until 2027 and could now make his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland against Grenada, from North America, on 16 May.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.