Mason Melia believes he has 'grown into more of a man' and is ready for 'bigger challenge'
Such is the physical attention million-euro kid Mason Melia has been exposed to that he doesn't notice the marks inflicted.
His St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny recently contended opposition defenders were taking turns to try rough up his 17-year-old spearhead.
Melia has the endurance, in body and mind, to withstand the man-marking he's faced, full sure it will equip him for the rigours the rest of his career demands.
That roadmap has him landing at Tottenham Hotspur in January, billed as the most expensive export in the League of Ireland record books.
The Saints are guaranteed an upfront fee of €1.9m, incremental bonuses including Ireland caps potentially doubling it, plus a 20% slice of profit on any future sale from Spurs.
He could boost their coffers in the meantime too by steering them into the playoffs of the Conference League.
A haul in prize-money surpassing the €1m waterline was yielded by prevailing against Lithuanian and Estonian opposition but Beşiktaş are on a different level.
This time last year, Melia's fanbase extended to include Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.
He was present at Tallaght to watch him shine in the playoff against fellow Turks Istanbul Başakşehir – a run-out Kenny circles as being transformational for the perception of the prodigy.
Melia takes it all in his stride, adamant the sole focus from his formative years around the fields of Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow was a lifetime in football.
Mason Melia in the Tallaght Stadium dressing room. Picture: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
That he's been touted to follow Robbie Keane's path at Spurs is easily brushed off. Irish fans would be satisfied even if he develops into another Troy Parrott.
'I've grown into more of a man,' said the forward who officially reaches adulthood in September.
'I'm still only 17 but I've played over 80 games in senior football now. And I have big European nights like this to look forward to.
'That's benefitted me. I think I've always had my football head but I've grown into myself. I'm feeling more physical and ready for a bigger challenge.'
Resisting the urge to retaliate amid the hostility is one of the many traits Spurs have admired.
'I've always been disciplined,' he affirms. 'I've known what I want since I was young. I finished my Junior Cert at school, sat down with my Ma and said 'this is what I want to do.'
'This is men's football really. Opponents don't go: 'Oh, he signed for them I am going to smash him.' I think everyone's the same. It's just the way the game is.'
It won't be long before he steps into the Spurs slipstream that Keane, Parrott and his idol Harry Kane inhabited.
The mothership are monitoring their asset from afar in the meantime, broadening his nutrition from the smoothies guzzled on daily commutes to training with his mother.
'Yeah, I think Tottenham have a plan for me,' he said about the future beyond the Saints and LOI.
'We'll take it step by step here, then see how I'm feeling in January and go from there.'
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