Everton: Arnaut Danjuma credits his faith and tough upbringing for helping him reach ‘greatness’
Everton forward Arnaut Danjuma has credited both his faith and his tough upbringing as his “greatness” which has helped him navigate hardship through his life.
The Dutchman joined the Toffees on a season-long loan this summer from Villarreal having initially been expected to join the ranks at Goodison Park in January, before making the late switch to join Tottenham Hotspur for the remainder of the season.
In seven Premier League appearances this season, the 26-year-old has managed to score once so far in blue, in the Toffees’ draw with Sheffield United, but Danjuma has been through tougher periods off the field including homelessness and time in foster care that have pushed him to succeed previously.
As quoted by the Premier League in their No Room for Racism campaign (11 October) he said: “I think my greatness is built on knowing I’ll be satisfied because of what I’ve been through, and because of what I’ve been through I’ve been able to work hard every day.
“I’ve been through tough times. I have never given up in life. I’ve always had the support from my loved ones. I’ve always had the support from my family and from my friends. I’m a devout Muslim so, for me, I will always give full credit and all respect to the Most High.
“I’m a firm believer in ‘with hardship comes ease’, and I think if you look to the best athletes, if you look to the people in this world that are the most successful, every single one of them, they’ve gone through hardship. And I think that’s where my greatness comes from as well.”
Never give up
The suggestion that with hardship comes ease is an incredibly positive outlook to have on life in general, but also could be huge for Danjuma’s life on the field. His start to life on Merseyside hasn’t been the best, yet there could still be plenty more to come.
Danjuma has only started three league matches this season but has lacked consistency in front of goal, missing three big chances and underperforming his expected goal rate throughout the opening portion of the campaign [Fotmob].
However, if he follows his own beliefs, there is no reason that he cannot turn his struggles around at Goodison Park and as those around him begin to find their feet in attack, it could well provide the 26-year-old with the boost to get his career back on track.
He has shown during his time with both Bournemouth and Villarreal that he is capable of carrying a genuine goal threat, during the Cherries’ time in the Championship Danjuma scored 29 goals in 33 starts before scoring 17 times in La Liga the year after.
It may take time for Sean Dyche to determine what his best position is and how he fits into the attack at Goodison Park, but it would be naive to right the Dutchman off as a flop already given his record.
In other Everton news, Dyche may have moved further away from being sacked after Wayne Rooney signed a lengthy contract with Birmingham City