Sheffield United: Daniel Jebbison reveals the moment he felt totally confused
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“I couldn’t work out why I had to wear a jacket, shirt and tie,” he says, recalling his first day at secondary school after arriving in England. “Before that, I’d been able to wear whatever. Jeans, trainers, t-shirt. Pretty much anything you wanted. But a suit? Weird. Totally out there.”
Now aged 19 and a professional footballer for Sheffield United, whose talents are beginning to attract admiring glances from the Premier League, Jebbison laughs as he remembers the difficulty he had adjusting to life in Derbyshire; the place where his family chose to settle after leaving Canada. The language was the same but its phraseology totally different. And then there was the dress code, which he still finds “bizarre”.
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Hide AdThankfully for Jebbison, whose voice still carries traces of the Ontario accent he developed whilst growing up near Toronto, sport provided a cultural reference point between the two countries. Basketball, athletics, hockey and football, the Canadian version rather than the one recognised beyond north America, all featured on his curriculum as a youngster. But, thanks to his Jamaican father and British mother, so did soccer. After honing his skills at a local academy, Jebbison quickly found he had a knack for scoring goals.
“I came here in my teens, I didn’t have a club and was just playing for a team near Gresley. To be honest, even though a lot of the other lads were older, I found it quite easy and so, after a while my dad was telling me: ‘Let’s put you in for some UK trials.’ It’s this thing where loads of scouts turn up and watch you.
“I was playing with kids who were about 20, whereas I was 16. You get chucked in wherever. I was a right back and then a right winger in that game. There was interest and I went on trials. Everyone kept telling me, ‘If you were one month younger, we’d sign you’ and stuff like that. But nothing ever happened and then I got a call from a scout here.”
Despite the narrative which has developed around Jebbison - that he was immediately identified as a future first team player - things didn’t initially go smoothly at United either. Sources there at the time recall how doubts were expressed about his technique and rough edges before one member of staff, no longer on the payroll, reminded that “speed, power and finishing” weren’t “bad” building blocks.
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Hide Ad“Maybe,” he told the doubters when they met to discuss Jebbison’s future, “We should do our jobs and coach the rest.” Or words to that effect.
Paul Heckingbottom, the manager responsible for awarding Jebbison his senior debut, will be mighty glad they resonated with staff at the South Yorkshire club. Eight days after appearing as a substitute against Crystal Palace, only 21 after United’s relegation from the top-flight had been confirmed, Jebbison became the youngest ever player to score on their full PL debut when, still a few months short of his 18th birthday, he scored the winner against Everton at Goodison Park. The Liverpudlians have been regularly linked with Jebbison since.
“It was crazy, so much noise, I didn’t realise it would be like that,” he says, describing what it feels like to go viral when most of your contemporaries are following trends. “I tried to ignore it, the noise, back then. The same as now. You hear all of this stuff, rumours and links. I don’t bother. I just focus on United and my football. I’m big on that and the boss is too.”
Heckingbottom has been a source of both knowledge and inspiration for Jebbison, who earlier this summer helped England win the UEFA under-19 European Championships. The same can be said of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, after he spent the first half of last season on loan at Burton Albion. Learning from the former Atletico Madrid, Holland and Chelsea centre-forward proved an invaluable experience for Jebbison, who netted seven times in only 14 starts for Hasselbaink’s side.
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Hide Ad“He brought out the nasty side in me, the nasty side you need on the pitch. I remember one game, against Doncaster Rovers I think it was, when I was running in behind and threw the defender on the ground. Jimmy taught me you need that edge, because it’s such a ruthless business.”
Impressed by the “pace, power and athleticism” of Jebbison and his close friend Will Osula, who could soon also be invited to complete a placement at Albion, Heckingbottom sprang a surprise on the opening weekend of the campaign. Rather than select Rhian Brewster for United’s visit to Watford, he opted for Jebbison instead.
It was a remarkable show of faith in the teenager, not least because Brewster remains the club’s record signing. With captain Billy Sharp now nursing an ankle injury, further opportunities could soon be forthcoming.
“I watch him all the time in training,” says Jebbison, referring to Sharp. “He might not notice it but I do, because he’s one of the best there is.”
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Hide AdAn unused substitute when United continued their encouraging start to the campaign with a win over Blackburn Rovers, which lifted them to the top of the table, Jebbison will be hoping for a prominent role when they travel to Luton Town on Friday night.
“There’s lots for me to work on, I know I’m not there yet but I will be soon, don’t worry about that.
“The competition here is really strong and so, for me, it’s all about building on what I’ve been doing, trying to get better and then put that into action when I get a chance.
“That’s what the manager tells me and everything he says makes sense.” A lot more than wearing a suit to school anyway.