Portsmouth youth chief Paul Smalley says they must be careful with top Ghanaian prospect Lenny Sowah.
The German-born is being touted in England as the next big defender in the Premier League after an impressive full debut for Portsmouth.
Smalley remains concerned his protege is not pushed too far, too soon.
He told The News: "Even before Lenny's full debut, I have been saying to the senior staff that he should be playing.
"When you consider the situation at the club and the chance to introduce younger players into the squad, it has been the ideal opportunity.
"It's even a good time to get players on the bench such as Nadir Ciftci.
"For me, Lenny was ready for that challenge. He deserved it. But I think we should be careful with him.
"It should certainly not be a case of him being there in the first team and now remaining there for a number of years. Let's not forget, he's 17. That's still very young, so you have got to protect him."
Ghana are considering the youngster for their U20 side as his parent hail from the West African country even though he was born in Germany.
It is not know if he will be considered by the coach of the Ghana senior side Milovan Rajevac for the World Cup in South Africa in June.