The police probe into a former Southampton youth coach accused of a string of child sex offences will spread to the United States.
Sportsmail has learned detectives from Hampshire police are set to contact their counterparts in America about Bob Higgins, once nicknamed the 'star maker' for his ability to identify top talents like Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier.
Higgins stands accused of sexually abusing young boys in his care at Southampton in the 1980s and it is alleged he continued preying on boys after moving to Malta in 1989.
Higgins was acquitted of sexual abuse charges in 1992, but it is believed he then moved to the USA where he continued to work with young footballers on the West Coast.