Three Irish teenagers have won places in the coveted final seven of Sky TV's Football's Next Star.

Craig Walsh from Dublin, Conor Smith from Westmeath and Gavin Colton from Kildare have all secured their places in their bid to win a contract with Jose Mourinho's Series A champions Inter Milan.

They beat off competition from thousands of hopeful applicants, and are currently being put through their paces at Inter Milan's world-famous academy Interello.

Youth scouts at Internazionale, Marco Monti and Paolo Migliavacca, combed the UK and Ireland to pick out the most promising young talent.

Thousands of boys aged 16 to18 gathered in Dublin, Manchester, London and Glasgow for a series of gruelling tasks to prove their prowess on the football pitch.

The three continue to be mentored by former Liverpool, Spurs and England star Jamie Redknapp.

"If I was 16 and had this opportunity to maybe play for Inter Milan… what a dream. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for somebody," said Redknapp.

They will now battle to be the last remaining contestant over the next two weeks. Tonight two more hopefuls will have their ambitions of playing for Inter Milan dashed when the number of contestants is whittled down to five.

The Inter coaches have already tipped Conor Smith as one of the next football talents to watch out for.

Meanwhile, Craig Walsh overcame his battle with homesickness after asking captain Monti if he could return to Ireland. Monti allowed Walsh time to think on it and the youngster changed his mind, opting instead to battle it out for the final spot.

"I love football so much I would play for free at this stage," Smith said.

Jose Mourinho said the contestants will have to fight hard for a place in the final. "The boys have the possibility of joining Inter Milan. I think it's a dream for them. Let them first of all enjoy it, then fight for their dream."

Over 4,000 hopefuls applied for the show, which comes to a climax on Sky One on Sunday 14 February.