The Tottenham attacker made his international debut before getting his chance for the north London club as a decision is awaited on what comes next
Roberto De Zerbi will make the final decision on Mason Melia's next move this summer after the youngster made his senior Republic of Ireland debut before making his Tottenham one.
The 18-year-old striker arrived through the doors at Spurs in January with a back injury and that and a subsequent chest infection delayed his debut for Spurs' U21s until last month. Melia has trained with the first team since but is yet to be involved in a matchday squad for the north London outfit.
However, that did not prevent the teenager from earning his first Republic of Ireland senior appearance on Thursday night under Heimir Hallgrimsson as he came on to the pitch in the 89th minute of the 1-0 friendly victory against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Melia fittingly came on for Troy Parrott, who was in Spurs' academy and played a handful of games for the club before starring in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar.
Tottenham had agreed a deal for Melia with St Patrick's Athletic last year for his transfer worth an initial £1.6million - a record figure for the League of Ireland - with the potential for future add-ons to double it. He was handed a long contract until 2031 as they saw off other top clubs across the game to sign a player considered one of the brightest young talents in Irish football, having already played 98 senior games for St Pat's with 25 goals and eight assists.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
What comes next for Melia after Friday night's friendly in Canada will be determined by De Zerbi. Spurs are expected to sign a new forward this summer with Richarlison being linked with a move out of the club as his contract reaches its final year.
De Zerbi has made it clearly publicly that he rates Dominic Solanke highly, despite his injury-ravaged season, and there is also 21-year-old forward Will Lankshear, who hit 12 goals for relegated Championship side Oxford United on loan last season and has been tipped for big things.
That could all point towards Melia getting a loan move next season to ensure his development does not stagnate within under-21s football. That decision though will be made by De Zerbi during pre-season in just over a month's time as he runs the rule over the teenage striker.