Sheffield United starlet reveals ambition to impress Chris Wilder and break into Premier League squad

Leo Gaxha of Sheffield Utd goes one on one with the Wigan keeper: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

The 18-year-old, who revealed recently that he was racially abused after travelling back to his hometown of Kerry during the Covid-19 lockdown, signed his first professional deal with United earlier this month and has already played for the U23s side.

The Republic of Ireland youth international, who was born and raised in Kerry to Albanian parents, said the incident only made him more determined to succeed and insists that he will one day play in the Premier League.

"When they offered [the professional contract] to me, I said yes straight away," Gaxha told Radio Kerry's Terrace Talk, "because it's a club I believe I can develop at and can play in the first team next season.

"In the two years, they'd already said that they were looking to offer a professional contract. When you do get the yes, when you do get the confirmation, it's a great feeling.

"I'll have a few training sessions with the first team [in pre-season]. All going well, hopefully, I'll impress the gaffer."

Gaxha first visited United when he was 15, and ended up training with the U23s. "I was training with some first-team players. It was unbelievable," he said.

"To be fair, I did better than I expected. Coming from Kerry, the standard is good, but they play so much faster, they're physically better and stronger. I coped with it really well."

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