The father of Liverpool wonderkid Jayden Danns has revealed his son rejected offers from two huge Premier League clubs to sign for Liverpool.
Danns has been thrust into the Liverpool first-team due to the significant injuries Jurgen Klopp's side is currently dealing with and scored his first Liverpool goals against Southampton in the FA Cup.
The 18-year-old only entered the pitch in the 63rd minute and bagged a brace to ensure Liverpool progressed to the quarter-final at Old Trafford.
The teenager has been with Liverpool since he was eight, but in 2022 Danns' father, who only retired from football in 2023, revealed he could have signed two other Premier League sides.
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Explaining how his son was scouted and then signed by the Reds, Neil Danns told the Echo: "He was doing futsal at Edge Hill Tennis Centre and Everton were the first to approach us about him.
Danns Snr also revealed that they had explored options with another one of Liverpool's rivals and explained the reasoning behind the family's decision to eventually opt for Liverpool.
"The next week Liverpool approached us. I know Everton weren’t happy about that at the time - it was like a little battle. We took him to Everton, Liverpool, and Manchester United so he could appreciate the different styles, but we always knew we were going to Liverpool," He explained.
"The whole family supports Liverpool so we always knew that. From the age of eight, he has gone all the way through since then.
“I’m unbelievably proud. He has still got a long way to go, but he has got the right attitude and mindset to go as far as he wants. I just said to him he has to work hard every day and enjoy his football. The main thing is to keep learning each day and it has been amazing to watch him develop."
Despite having a professional career of his own, Danns Snr, who made 582 league appearances opened up on how they were never pushing Jayden to follow in his father's footsteps.
"For me, it was just about him having fun and playing football. Everton approached us and we thought, ‘Oh, that’s good someone has noticed him’. We weren’t actively looking for him to get a club, he was just there to enjoy himself," The 41-year-old explained.
Topics: Liverpool, Premier League, FA Cup, Jurgen Klopp, Everton
Tom Jenkins