Jose Mourinho spotted chatting with Ireland underage star during a first-team training session
Speculation is growing that Irish teenager Jaden Umeh could be handed a first-team debut at Benfica before the end of the season.The Ireland Under-21 forward has been videoed at a first-team training session with the Portuguese giants this week.Benfica’s legendary manager Jose Mourinho can be seen approaching the 18-year-old, shaking his hand and exchanging some words with the former Cork City prospect.Umeh has been in impressive form this season and just a couple of weeks ago he scored an outrageous free-kick from all of 35 yards in an Under-19 derby against Sporting Lisbon.His UEFA Youth League displays have also drawn widespread praise, with Umeh scoring three goals and providing three assists in nine appearances in the competition.The teenager joined Benfica from the League of Ireland side in the summer of 2024, after his form for the Leesiders caught the eyes of clubs all across Europe.His older brother Franco is currently at Portsmouth, after he moved from Cork City to Crystal Palace in January 2023.Jaden Umeh became Cork City’s youngest player when he made his debut at the age of 15 and 230 days against Bohemians, while he became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer when he found the net against Wexford just two weeks after his 16th birthday.A member of Ireland’s World Cup squad that made the last-16 at last year’s Under-17 tournament, he has recently broken into the Under-21 set-up.Umeh made his debut at that level in a European qualifier against Moldova in March, and he followed that up with his first start in a 1-0 win away to Kazakhstan.He has been tipped as a potential call-up to Heimir Hallgrímsson's squad for the training camp in Murcia in May, when Ireland will play Grenada in a friendly.You can see Mourinho approach Umeh below.And a longer video of Benfica’s training session this week can be seen here.Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond.
