Birmingham City man makes revelation over Troy Deeney influence on his career | OneFootball

Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James has paid tribute to Troy Deeney for the way he has helped him make the step up to senior football since the start of last season.

After coming through the youth ranks at Birmingham, James made the step up to the Blues’ first-team last season, and has now become a near ever present during the current campaign.

The 18-year-old has now made a total of 31 first-team appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring once in that time.

Deeney meanwhile, made the move to boyhood club Birmingham in the summer of 2021, at the same time as James was making that step up to senior level.

Now it seems as though the presence of the veteran striker, has been cruicial to the teenager’s transition to the first-team ranks.

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Speaking about the impact Deeney has already had on his career as the two took part in an interview for the club’s TV channel, James said: “My first ever training session he said my boots were horrendous, they were pink, I have never worn pink again. Troy took me under his wing a bit, you could see he believed in something that I had.

“The first session we really got to know each other was a shape thing and Gards was running off me and Troy sort of spoke to me and said ‘He is running off you, if you want to take his place you need to be able to cope with that’.

“When I first came in I was more nervous about being around the first team than actually playing the football. He was the first person that came up to me and helped me and pushed me in the right direction.

“Last season was more of a confidence thing for me, he improved that for me. This season I have come out of my shell a little bit.”

The Verdict

These comments from James mean you do have to hold a fair amount of admiration for Deeney.

It is always going to be a daunting challenge for young players to make the step up to the senior ranks, alongside much more established and experienced players.

As a result, the way Deeney, as one of the most experienced around, has stepped up to take James under his wing, shows the respeonsibility and leadership role he is willing to take on, even while focusing on his game as well.

Indeed, with the impact that James has since been able to make after stepping up to the first-team, it seems as though the way Deeney has helped the midfielder here, has certainly paid off for Birmingham.