Miami (AFP) – Inter Miami coach Phil Neville believes David Beckham’s son Romeo has the potential to forge a career in professional football following his debut in Florida.

Romeo Beckham played in his first professional game on Sunday after starting for Inter Miami’s sister team Fort Lauderdale CF. 

The 19-year-old played 79 minutes in a 2-2 draw with South Georgia Tormenta FC and impressed Inter Miami boss Neville despite having only 19 touches in the match.

“I thought he did really well,” said Neville on Monday. 

“I think the measure of his performance was that he was only planned to play 45 minutes, and he played nearly 80 minutes because he is a boy that is hungry.

“He has got a lot of pressure and expectations on his shoulders, but what he has got is he has got his feet firmly on the ground. 

“He knows he has got a lot of development to do, and he has got all the right attributes, character, determination, good person, to have a really good opportunity of making it in professional football.”

Romeo joined Fort Lauderdale CF’s roster earlier this month in a low-key move that was made without an official announcement.

He had been training with the team and occasionally Inter Miami prior to that.

Neville said that former Manchester United and England team-mate David Beckham had instructed him to take a tough line on his son.

“The first thing that David said to me was, ‘You have got to be harder on him than anyone else,'” said Neville. 

“He has got to work harder than anyone else to get into that team because there will be questions, there will be expectations on his shoulders.”

Neville’s own son Harvey has also played for Fort Lauderdale this season, making 15 appearances.

“He knows when he is in this football club he is no different than any other player, and it is the same with Romeo,” Neville said.