LEIF DAVIS always dreamed of playing in the Premier League when he went to St James’ Park to watch his Newcastle heroes.
And the Ipswich left-back would further get starry-eyed as he played FIFA on his console as his beloved Magpies against the likes of Manchester City.
So he was pinching himself when he was locking horns with Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez and Co on his Premier League debut for Leeds for real at Elland Road three years ago.
Now Davis, 23, is eyeing a return to the big time with Ipswich after joining from the Yorkshire club last summer.
He said: “I went to warm up but got called back to the technical area right away and got told I was going on.
“And when I ran out I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is a dream.’ I was playing against the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez, Foden, Raheem Sterling — some of the world’s best players.
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“Just a few years earlier I was playing on FIFA against these guys, thinking, ‘I’d like to play on the same field as you one day’ and it was actually happening.”
Davis was destined to become a professional footballer, given that he played for a season at the famous Wallsend Boys Club in Newcastle.
The club is famed for producing the likes of Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Steve Bruce, Michael Carrick and Fraser Forster just to name a few.
Lifelong Toon fan Davis was inspired by his heroes to make it to the top.
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He said: “I’ve always been a huge fan and had a season ticket at St James’ Park for years.
“When I first went to watch them there was Ryan Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini. Then there was Yohan Cabaye and Gabriel Obertan.
“My favourite games were the European nights when I went up there with my dad and brother. Hopefully a chance might present itself to get a few Champions League games this season.”
Davis never got picked up by Newcastle as a kid — playing local Sunday morning football — and instead his big break came when MORECAMBE snapped him up instead, aged 16, giving him a scholarship.
He said: “I had it in my head that I had been rejected a few times by different clubs who I went on trial to. I said to my parents, ‘This might be it for me. I might not get a chance to play professionally.’
“Then a trial came up at Morecambe. I played 45 minutes and they called me on the way home offering me a two-year scholarship.
“I took my chance there. It is hard moving away from home at such a young age. I thought it was going to be the only opportunity, a real stepping stone in my career. It was one I had to take. You have to work from the bottom to the top.”
Davis got spotted by Leeds and they took him to Elland Road when he was 18 where he played for West Brom boss Carlos Corberan, then in charge of the under-21s.
But it did not take long until he impressed coach Marcelo Bielsa, who got him training with the first team.
And the Geordie ace remembers: “It was so demanding as everyone knows.
“Biesla has developed so many players. Kalvin Phillips always says he wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for him.
“And he did the same with me. When I first went there, I wouldn’t attack as much and would always be sitting back and trying to create a play from further back.
“But then he told us to start running and told me I was a good athlete and passer of the ball. He wanted me to push on high and that helped me massively in my game last season.”
The left-back was a key player as the Tractor Boys won promotion back to the Championship after four seasons stuck in League One.
Davis, himself, was able to directly enjoy making an impact having only been in and around the Leeds side that got promoted and being a bit-part player on loan when Bournemouth went up in 2022.
And he said: “Last season was unbelievable. I know it’s not my first time being promoted but playing a big part in the team was a wonderful feeling.
“It’s what I needed. I know it’s good being at a Premier League team but you don’t want to be sitting on the bench all the time. You want to get playing and that’s why I came here. I wanted to develop as a player.”
Ipswich have got off to a flying start — beating Sunderland and Stoke — to be the early Championship leaders.
And Davis says the talk at Portman Road has not been about consolidating in the second tier but getting into the Premier League.
He said: “We spoke about it in the week leading up to the new season. We said, ‘We’re not coming here to have a jolly up.’ As a team, we want to make a statement, go for it again and try to get promoted.
“You want to keep pushing and pushing and take the team into the Premier League. That’s what we need to do. That is where our focus should be.”
Boss Kieran McKenna, 37, continues to impress in only his second full season as a manager — having taken over in December 2002 after serving as an assistant at Manchester United under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international is seeing his reputation grow in the game and if he continues this upward curve this season there will be top-flight clubs looking in his direction.
Davis said: “He’s an unbelievable manager. When I first came down, he made me feel so welcome straight away. I played at the weekend when I came down. I hadn’t really trained with the lads. I got thrown in the deep end.
“He has done so much for us. Everyone can say they have come on in massive amounts.
“If you asked anyone in the changing room or backroom staff, people will tell you he is up there with the best coaches they’ve played with.
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“I think he possibly can coach even higher. There has been a bit of interest. A few managers when they got sacked in the Premier League, a few eyes turned to him straight away.
“But he is sticking with us and signed a new contract. He just wants to help the lads kick on even more.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
