Did you know?
1) Born in London to an English father and Portuguese mother, Ilori joined the Sporting youth academy in 2006. He could still play for the Three Lions just like his Sporting team-mate, Eric Dier, who was born in Cheltenham and plays for the England U19 side. Ilori has so far only represented Portugal at youth level.
2) Though primarily a centre-back, Ilori can also fill in at left-back.
He is known for his speed on the ground, and has even proven to be quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in the speed tests conducted at Sporting's academy. He has been mentioned as a long-term successor to Ricardo Carvalho [see 'What's being said' below].
3) Ilori made his senior Sporting debut in November, 2011 during a league clash with U.D Leiria, and a month later appeared in the Europa League. He continued as part of the B team officially, however.
4) The arrival of new manager, Jesualdo Ferreira in January 2013 led to a significant boost in Ilori's profile. The youngster was handed a start for the first team against Gil Vicente in February, and scored a goal within six minutes, going on to play the entire game. He played a further 10 games last season, starting in all of them.
5) The defender has made 15 appearances for Portugal at U19 level and is in the country's U20 World Cup team for the tournament in Turkey beginning on 21 Jun
Read more:
http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine...efender-heading-anfield-199810?#ixzz2WTZIh7R8
Follow us: @talksport on Twitter
Read more at
http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine...r-heading-anfield-199810?#60DycHSVskj66ih7.99