Aussie Lucas is playing it Kewell

Glen Hoddle secured the signing of 16-year-old Jay Lucas for Southampton - bringing Australia's most exciting young footballer since Harry Kewell to The Dell.

A fax pushed under the door of Jay Lucas's hotel bedroom in Papua New Guinea congratulating him on his 16th birthday on Sunday secured for Southampton one of the best young footballers to emerge from Australia.

It was written and sent by Southampton's recruitment officer Malcolm Elias, who has tracked Lucas as doggedly as a surveillance officer to ward off the attentions of wealthier suitors such as Leeds, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.

'He is a very exciting young player, a natural,' said Elias.'He's 6ft 3in and he scores goals for fun. He is coming to join us on July 1 and we have him at least until he is 19, hopefully longer. He has been a very hot property and we are delighted he has chosen us.' Lucas's coach at his New South Wales club Wollongong Wolves agreed.'I would say that he is just as promising as Harry Kewell was at the same age,' said Ron Corry.'There have been a number of English clubs scouting him and I am sure that Southampton will give him the kind of education that will allow him to make his mark in the Premiership.' Corry is something of a spotter of talent. The two goalkeeping Marks, Schwarzer and Bosnich, passed through his tutelage.

Lucas has already emphasised his scoring ability on the big stage for his club. The Wolves are next likely to come to our attention as the Oceania representatives in the World Club Championships in Barcelona in July. Their presence alongside the champion clubs of the other FIFA Confederations will be partly down to the precocious Lucas. He came on as a second-half substitute in the World Clubs Championship qualifying competition last week to score a hat-trick. And on his birthday, he was handed his full debut against the host club Port Moresby of Papua and he obliged with another couple of goals in a 6-0 win.

'He has great natural talent and I felt that he had the strength and maturity even at the age of 15 to be playing in a competition like this,' added Corry. A native of the coastal mining town of Wollongong, some 60 miles south of Sydney, Lucas spent time in this country last year, training with several clubs but he felt that his opportunities to progress would be better under Hoddle and his staff than some of the bigger clubs.