Liberia set to make contact with Adelaide United about Al Hassan Toure
Adelaide striker Al Hassan Toure has been targeted by Liberia as a future soccer international and is in the process of sending a letter to United about playing him in a friendly.
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Liberia is serious about capping Adelaide United’s star teenage striker Al Hassan Toure during FIFA’s international match calendar window next month.
Liberia’s English coach Peter Butler confirmed the Liberian Football Federation was in the process of sending an official letter to Adelaide United.
Liberia’s president is FIFA 1995 world player of the year George Weah.
Weah is a Ballon D’Or winner and listed by Pele in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Butler was appointed coach in August as Liberia aims to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 for the first time.
“I know quite a bit about him (Toure),’’ Butler, 53, said.
“I think Al Hassan Toure has certainly qualities to people I have spoken to and he has made it quite clear that he wants to play for Liberia.
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“We’ve got friendly fixtures hopefully lined up next month and I would be looking to call him up.
“I have had a chat with my administration manager to write an official letter to Adelaide United.
“If he (Toure) wants to play for Liberia 100 per cent we’ll call him.
“There’s quite a few like him (with Liberian heritage).
“There’s a lad at Leeds United who is in a similar scenario Nohan Kenneh he was with the England youth (national team) and then there’s another lad at Athletic Bilbao Iñaki Williams he played one friendly game for Spain.”
A Liberian cap could be a dream come true for Toure after helping Adelaide claim a 4-0 FFA Cup final win over Melbourne City last week with a goal, an assist and earning the Mark Viduka medal.
After the match Toure said “it would be great to play for my country (Liberia) but also Australia gave me opportunities.’’
Toure’s parents were born in Liberia.
He was born in Guinea before the family landed in Australia when he was four.
Butler said he had spoken to Weah the AC Milan, PSG and AS Monaco legend numerous times but not about Toure.
Butler said Toure had been scouted by Liberia since emerging on the scene as a prolific goal scorer after making his professional debut in the FFA Cup in August.
Toure is yet to be capped by Australia at any level.
“He (Weah) has come and trained with us once,’’ Butler said.
“He’s a nice chap, Christopher Wreh is a good friend of the president and he is a former Arsenal player, he is my assistant.”
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Butler made more than 450 appearances in the English Football League and the Premier League most notably with West Ham, West Bromwich Albion, Notts County and Southend United before coaching.
After he was appointed as a caretaker for Halifax Town in England, Butler landed a gig in Western Australia with Sorrento FC in 2001 where he stayed for two years before winning jobs across South East Asia.
Butler helped Sorrento claim the WA championship in 2001 and established the club’s youth academy and was coaching at Trinity College in Perth.
He was in charge of the Botswana national team from 2014 until 2017.