Swindon manager Danny Wilson says teenage winger Alex Henshall, a star at the 2009 Milk Cup, has a "great future" in the game after naming his as an unused substitute at Exeter.
Henshall, 15, would have been the club's youngest ever player had he come on with Swindon.
WIlson, a former Northern Ireland international, revealed the player turned down a bid for him from Chelsea last season. He
told BBC Wiltshire that Henshall has a long way to go but his time will come.
"He's a great talent and has a great future, it shows how much we think of him by including him on the bench."
"I didn't think it was quite right this evening to put him on, the game was finely balanced. There never came an opportunity to put young Alex on," Wilson added.
Henshall starred for Swindon in the famous Milk Cup youth tournament in Northern Ireland this summer, where a hat-trick against Maccabi Tel Aviv helped earn him the top player award in the junior section.
That success brought him to the attention of the England scouts and he has been named in the under-16 squad to face Wales later this month
Manchester United and Everton have also been linked with a move for the left winger, although Wilson says he still has plenty to learn.
"He's not there yet but we do believe he's got great potential, and days like this will help him to relax," the manager said.
Henshall was eight when he first joined Swindon's centre of excellence system, and his mother Deb said: "He's born and bred in Swindon, and is very proud to be playing for his home town.
"Even though he was only on the subs bench and he didn't come on, he's 15 years old and he's come a long way."