Telegraph Sport last month revealed that the 18-year-old left-back is being tracked by English Premier League outfits Sunderland and Swansea, right.

And although Ton youth academy product Russell hasn’t heard anything from any suitors down south, he revealed his phone had been ringing off the hook with calls from potential representatives.

He did not have an agent up until a month ago but has now signed up with former St Mirren and Aberdeen midfielder Ricky Gillies after a thorough selection process involving his parents.

Russell told the Tele: “The first time I’d heard about teams being interested was when I saw it in the paper that Friday.

“I actually got an agent just before that, about three or four weeks ago it was.

“To be honest with you, there were too many agents.

“I was getting phone calls right, left and centre.

“It was getting ridiculous, and I was starting to get them mixed up!

“A few of the boys in the team told me their agents were looking for my number.

“But I had to keep saying ‘no’ because I had already met with three or four and narrowed it down to two.

“I actually ended up choosing a guy whose wife works with my mum.

“He approached me that way because he’d heard about me.

“I met with him and felt he was the best option so decided to go with him.

“It’s actually Ricky Gillies who used to play for St Mirren.

“He’s got a boy [Liam Lindsay] at Partick Thistle, his nephew who was on loan at Alloa last year.

“He shuffles between going to watch me and him at the moment and texts me after every game. He seems like a good guy.” And while Russell has now fixed himself up with an agent and is understood to be attracting interest from other clubs, he says he is quite relaxed about his future.

He added: “It [hearing clubs are keeping tabs on him] doesn’t really affect me, to be honest. I’m quite happy at the moment and it’s not as if anyone’s actually made a bid or anything like that.

“The long-term aim is to get a move.

“But I’m playing quite a lot at Morton — I’ve been in the team the last few weeks anyway — and I’m enjoying it, so I just ignore it and keep it to the back of my mind.

“Did any of the players give me advice? No — more a slagging than anything! A lot of the boys saw the story and were winding me up.

“They were giving it all the usual patter: ‘The next big Prem footballer, here he comes!’ “I just laughed it off right enough.”