December 18 : Liverpool have signed their first professional player of Indian heritage after agreeing a contract with Yan Dhanda. The 17-year-old England youth international, born in Birmingham, has agreed a two and a half year professional deal at Anfield after impressing in their youth ranks.
Dhanda, honoured with an up-and-coming player prize at the British Asian Football awards in 2013, was brought in from West Bromwich Albion aged 14, with Liverpool paying £200,000 compensation for his services.
And even at such a young age he was dreaming of becoming the first British Asian to appear for Liverpool, telling the club website: “My long-term ambition would be to get into the first team before I am 20.
“That is the dream but I am a million miles away from that now so I just have to keep my head down and work as hard as I possibly can every day.”
Swansea City’s Neil Taylor is currently the only other British Asian player with a Premier League deal.