Everton were first to approach Liverpool wonderkid Jayden Danns but lost ‘battle’, claims player’s father
Jayden Danns was initially scouted and approached by Everton, but snubbed the Toffees following interest from Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
The Reds stepped in to poach Danns from Everton and the 16-year-old is now considered one of the club’s most promising youngsters.
Danns, whose father Neil also came through the ranks at Anfield, was first scouted by Everton but attracted interest from both Liverpool and Manchester United.
But while the three Premier League teams all battled to convince Danns to join their academy, his father has revealed that they “always knew” he’d end up at Liverpool – much to Everton’s frustration.
“He was doing futsal at Edge Hill Tennis Centre and Everton were the first to approach us about him,” Danns’ father told the Liverpool Echo.
“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. The whole family supports Liverpool so we always knew that. From the age of eight, he has gone all the way through since then.”
One that got away?
There can only be one thing more frustrating for Everton scouts than losing a talented youngster – and that’s losing a talented youngster to Liverpool.
Danns clearly caught the eyes of Toffees scouts, but his Merseyside allegiances always made it likely that he’d end up in red rather than blue.
It’s a shame, as Frank Lampard has shown already his willingness to bring through the youth at Goodison Park, and Danns likely had a better chance of breaking through at Everton than he does at Liverpool.
But his choice is made, and Evertonians will just hope it’s not a story that comes back to haunt them in 10 years’ time.
On the bright side, Everton’s initial approach for Danns shows that the club’s scouts are doing a great job of identifying local talent and moving quickly to tie them down.
There are already a number of highly-talented youngsters at Finch Farm waiting to come through to the first team, and Everton are quickly proving to be a great club for youth players to thrive – just look at Anthony Gordon.