THE news that negotiations are still underway to have Blackburn Rovers striker David ‘Junior’ Hoilett don the Reggae Boyz colours should be heartening for local football fans.

At 21, Hoilett, who is also eligible to play for his birth country Canada, is not yet the finished article, but one cannot overlook the fact that he is a super talent.

He was one of the few bright sparks in Blackburn’s relegation-hit English Premier League (EPL) campaign, scoring seven goals and assisting seven, while forming a decent partnership — worth more than 20 goals — with veteran Nigerian centre forward Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

So promising was Hoilett — who qualifies to play for Jamaica through his father — in the just-concluded EPL season that he has reportedly attracted interests from topflight clubs Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs and Sunderland, plus German giants Bayern Munich.

While his youthfulness will be as much of an interest as his ability to the likes of ‘Spurs’ and Bayern, it is his experience against top-class oppositions that would be of much help to Jamaica on the ‘Mission to Rio’ campaign.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Hoilett has actually spent most of his life outside of North America, having joined the Blackburn Rovers Academy at age 13, before moving to Central Europe at 17 on loan to German clubs SC Paderborn 07 and St Pauli for two seasons in order to boost his chances of getting a work permit in England.

Since returning to his parent club in the summer of 2009, Hoilett has been on the rise, scoring and setting up crucial goals for the Lancashire-based Blackburn in the past three seasons.

His inclusion in Jamaica’s 2014 World Cup qualification squad would give coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore an even wider variety of attacking options. He would join the likes of Marlon King, Ricardo Fuller, Luton Shelton, Omar Cummings, Dane Richards, Ryan Johnson, and the emerging Darren Mattocks in a deep striker pool.

Hoilett’s pedigree and proven experience on the big stage would no doubt make him a favourite to nick a starting spot, therefore constantly keeping his fellow attackers on their toes.

The former St Pauli player, who it is also said is eligible to represent the USA, does not score a lot of goals, but his positioning in and around the 18-yard box makes him such a huge goal threat. He can be deployed in a number of attacking roles, which would give Whitmore a lot of security in case of injuries or lost of form to the other strikers.

For Blackburn, he is mainly used as a wide-man or a support striker for Yakubu — a partnership that could be copied by Whitmore with the bullish King in mind.

Among his seemingly special talents is his quick feet and inclination to cut-in from his favoured left flank and unleash either a curling or blistering right-footed shot from the edge of the box. Once it is on target, it is likely to cause trouble for the goalkeeper.

In one-on-one situations, he is also a gem.

“He likes playing wide, especially on the left flank when he can cut in on his right foot, but when he is playing just off the front he has got good feet, good movement and can provide service for (Yakubu) and score himself,” Blackburn manager Steve Kean told British tabloid The Sun recently.

“With seven goals and seven assists, Hoilett’s record this season is very good in contrast to (England winger) Stewart Downing, for example, who coasts £20 million and has failed to score or get an assist from the left flank for Liverpool,” wrote Just-Football.com in April.

“No player in the (EPL) has completed more dribbles per game than Hoilett who, like (Manchester United winger) Nani, is adept at running at full-backs and exploiting the space behind opposition defenders.

“Luis Suarez is probably most comfortable playing as a support striker, a position Hoilett also plays. The Canadian youngster has scored only one fewer than Suarez and has two more assists, making him more productive for Blackburn than Suarez has been for Liverpool,” the respected football website added.

However, if Hoilett’s youthful exuberance counts as one of his many assets, it is the very aspect of his game that could work against him. At times, he tends to rush attacking plays and find himself being crowded out by experienced defenders.

The one thing that could work against the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) in their bid to persuade Hoilett to join the Reggae Boyz family is his priority to establish himself as a top club player before launching an international career.

He reportedly turned down the chance to represent Canada last year, noting that he “wanted to develop his club career”.

With Blackburn now confined to second-tier football for at least one season, Hoilett and his agent, who is also his father, might just see this as the perfect opportunity to make that big move away from Ewood Park, especially with his contract set to expire in the summer.

But there is hardly any top club player who does not want to play international football, and JFF President Captain Horace Burrell will be hoping that Hoilett’s father, who it is believed hails from Ochi Rios in St Ann, can persuade his son to play for his homeland.