Ex-England U19 Skipper Aina Advises Young British Players To Emulate Fabregas, Drogba

Published: April 29, 2019

Ola Aina has advised young British players to take the next step in their careers by leaving their home clubs and moving to other countries to continue their developmental curve rather than sticking around for so long waiting for their chances.

The Chelsea loanee who swapped Stamford Bridge for Torino's Stadio Olimpico last summer has been one of the most impressive young players in the Serie A this season.

In an interview with Independent UK, the Super Eagles defender has encouraged young British-grown players like himself to take a leaf out of Didier Drogba or Cesc Fabregas's books and make the bold step of leaving their countries to hone their talents in completely new surroundings, something he described as a leap of faith on his part.

"Coming out here is really good. You always hear about these other foreign players – Spanish players, African players - leaving home at a young age to come and play.

''But you never hear from young British guys who've gone out to Spain at the age of 15 or whatever and learned his trade. You never hear that. There's always a question mark. Why not?"

"For example, Cesc Fabregas came to Arsenal when he was very young. Didier Drogba was very young when he went to France.

''I just think why can't English players do that as well? Why can't you go to Germany or Italy or Spain and make a good name for yourself?

"Right now, it's the way forward. But going into Europe, it's a whole different mindset. It's a whole different football to English football. That's an experience you can keep with you for the rest of your career," the former England U19 skipper added.

Aina who has also enjoyed a loan spell with Hull City signed a contract extension with the Blues in August 2018 before joining Torino on a season-long loan.

Emmanuel Chinaza