STEWART Regan, the SFA chief executive, last night stressed everything possible will be done to ensure Karamoko Dembele, the 13-year-old Celtic starlet, commits his future to Scotland.

Dembele, who attracted huge publicity when he made his debut for the Parkhead club’s under-20 side earlier this month, has been called up by the Scotland Under-16 team for the 2016 Victory Shield.

However, it has emerged that the gifted winger, who was born in London to parents who hail from the Ivory Coast, is training at St. George’s Park down in England this week.

That has raised concerns that the player, whose family only moved to Glasgow four years ago, could decide to switch his allegiances to England, but Regan insisted the SFA would work hard to ensure he represent Scotland.

“We will try and do everything we possibly can to bring him into the Scottish system,” he said. “That’s something we definitely have on our radar. We’ve called Karamoko into the Victory Shield squad.

“If you have talented players and talented players who are eligible for other countries then, clearly, they are always going to be attractive to other associations. We have to do what we can – and that is why he has been called into the Victory Shield squad.

“We want to make him feel wanted and valued and, certainly, Celtic are doing that. I visited the performance school at St Ninian’s myself a couple of weeks ago and saw the set-up they have, which is magnificent.

“The attention to detail and attention he is getting as a young player is great – and being brought into the Scotland set-up at a young age, at 13 years old, is a fantastic opportunity.

“We can only do everything we possibly can in our power. Ultimately the choice will come down to the boy and his parents. But we will do all we actually can to make him a Scotland player.”

Meanwhile, Regan, speaking in Glasgow at the launch of the host city branding and logo for the Euro 2020 finals, revealed that SFA officials had held talks with Sir Alex Ferguson, but not about the Scotland team.

The national side, who take on England in a crucial Russia 2018 qualifier at Wembley next month, are in danger of missing out on qualification for the World Cup finals after losing to Lithuania and being beaten by Slovakia this month.

“Sir Alex is here, first and foremost, because he is an ambassador for Euro 2020,” said Regan. “He is a local Govan lad and talks very passionately about the city.

“We had the opportunity to spend 24 hours with him covering a whole multitude of issues and he, more than anyone, wants to see Scotland successful. So, yes, we have discussed lots of different topics and he has been a fantastic ambassador for the Scottish FA.

“He is already involved with us at an ambassadorial level. As far as we are concerned that’s how we feel he can add value. He has been great for the Scottish FA and gives his time and advice freely. We have not had any discussions about the A squad.

I know that he and Gordon speak from time to time. They talk players and talk Scottish football and they had that opportunity over the last 24 hours to do just that.”

Regan believes that Glasgow hosting three group games and one last 16 match in the Euro 2020 finals will give football in Scotland a huge boost and is hopeful that the national team can qualify.

“It’s an aspiration and a vision for Scotland to make Euro 2020 – even more so given that Hampden Park will be a host for four games,” he said.

“We set out our vision a few years ago and said that it would be great if some of our kids coming through the performance school could pull on a dark blue shirt and run out at Hampden having qualified for a major tournament. That’s the pinnacle and that’s what we are all working towards.

“You have to remain positive about building for the future. We have a great opportunity and Hampden Park being host to a major European Championship means it’s a great catalyst and opportunity for us to build towards it and we’ll be doing everything we can to get there.

“From a football point of view we will never have a better chance to showcase Scottish football for the next generation than to qualify in our own backyard for a major tournament.

“People use the word legacy and it’s a bit of a cliché. But we really need to kickstart success, get ourselves back into a winning place and qualify for a major tournament. What better way than qualifying at Hampden Park? It would be fantastic for everyone.”

Regan revealed that the SFA hoped to be able to unveil their new performance director early next year and is optimistic there are signs of improvement in Scottish football despite the national team’s disappointing results.

“You can look at things with the glass half-empty or the glass half-full,” he said. “Our Under-17s have qualified for three European Championships back-to-back under Scot Gemmill who is now leading the Under 21s.

“The women’s team have just qualified for their first European Championships. We have more players in the system and more coaches and volunteers and referees.

“We have strong foundations at grassroots and the elusive piece of the jigsaw is the qualification of our Mens A squad and that is something we are working incredibly hard to achieve.

“When you look at some of the players coming through the system there’s the likes of Kieran Freeman coming through to play in England (Southampton).

“You have Jack Paterson who was on bench at Killie not so long ago and nine of the Victory Shield squad have come through the performance schools.

“There are things to be positive about and its incumbent on us all to stay positive focused and support the manager and the squad to achieve the potential.”