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Nkosilathi Sibanda Sports Reporter
SIXTEEN-year-old England-based Zimbabwean footballer Michael Fute has declared his readiness to don the senior national team jersey.

Fute plays in central midfield for Morecombe FC, a League Two side in the fourth tier of English football based in Lancashire County in the north west of England.

Fute is confident he can make a great contribution in changing the Warriors’ fortunes.

The Bulawayo-born midfielder is the younger brother of former Highlanders and Warriors’ midfield ace Honour Gombami, who is now based in Belgium.

The youngster trained with Highlanders for two weeks to stay fit ahead of the League Two season that starts this month.

“I have all it takes to be part of the Zimbabwe national team. I want to bring a European style of play into the Warriors,” said Fute.

“The national coaches will notice me as soon as the season starts. I promise to deliver the kind of football that will earn me a Warriors’ jersey.

“Even if it means starting with the junior national teams, I don’t mind. I know I will work my way up to the senior national team,” he said.

Fute said his short training stint with his home town club had inspired him to want to contribute to local football.

“Highlanders were welcoming. Although the training sessions were far much different from what I’ m used to, I felt the urge to return and play locally.

“I always tell my Morecombe teammates that I want to play for Zimbabwe. By the time I turn 18, I will be a professional making waves for Zimbabwe as I feel I will have benefitted a lot from the exposure and coaching I will have had in English football.”

He said Gombami’s success and exploits with the Warriors had fuelled his inspiration to represent Zimbabwe.

“When we talk about football, Honour says a lot about Zimbabwean football and we enjoy that. He has asked me on many occasions whether I have a desire to play for the country and because I heed his advice, I now crave to represent Zimbabwe. We have always inspired each other to aim high,” Fute said.