Dan Udoh Interview: Salford starts training with Paul Scholes, works in chicken factory and hits 50 EFL goals | soccer news

Just before the end of the transfer window last summer, Dan Udoh received a call from a number he didn’t recognize.

He saved the number on WhatsApp, although he missed it at first. Don’t you think your profile picture will definitely shine?

No such luck.

Then the phone rang again. This time he answered. The caller said, “Hi Dan, it’s Paul.”

“I thought, ‘Who is Paul?’” Udoh says, laughing as he talks. sky sports.

“It turns out it was Paul Scholes! I was a Manchester United fan since I was young, so I fell in love with the star.

“It was enough for one of your heroes, someone you admired and watched growing up, to call you and tell you to join his team!”

On deadline day, 1 September, Udoh signed a two-year contract to join Salford from Wycombe for an undisclosed fee.

It was touch and go at the time as the Chairboys wanted to sign a replacement before approving his departure. All the drama was captured in the episode below of ‘This is Salford’ posted on the club’s official YouTube channel.

Udo said it then and still says it now. It is said that the club’s ambition was one of the driving forces behind his pursuit of the move. But equally important was the opportunity to return north after a season in Buckinghamshire.

“I’m originally from north-west London, but football can take you anywhere,” he says.

“I lived in Telford for six or seven years playing for Telford and Shrewsbury, got married near there, had a young son nearby and bought our own house nearby.

“My wife’s family is from Widnes and we live 20-30 minutes from Warrington and 30 minutes from Salford so it made sense.

“I’m a big believer in God, and I always think God plans everything the way he wants. You just have to fall in line.”

It’s often said in soccer that if a player feels good and takes his place on the pitch, half the battle is won. And the move north seems to have come as a surprise to Udoh.

It’s not that he had a bad season last season. In 41 games, he scored nine goals and provided three assists as Wycombe qualified for the Sky Bet League One play-offs.

But this season, which started with six league games for Wycombe, the 29-year-old has scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.

“I hope the target number is higher!” he says

“Assisting was never something that crossed my mind, but goal contributions are huge these days, so scoring a goal is always nice, isn’t it? Being involved in goals is my main goal and that ends up winning the game.”

“If I get ejected from a game or don’t score that day, I can step up to the plate for my other teammates. I’m not a selfish player. If someone is in a better position than me and I think it will help the team, I will always pass the ball to them and expect the same from them.”

Working with Carl Robinson was beneficial.

“I always liked how the manager was brutally honest with me,” Udoh added.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve and tells me what I need to hear at the right times.

“Before, I was in situations where I didn’t really get the information from the manager and didn’t know where I stood. But with him, I know where I stand most games, most weeks, so I have a clear idea of ​​what the manager wants from me.

“He has a structure of how he wants us to defend and how he wants us to attack, but he leaves the attackers a lot of freedom at the top of the pitch to move around and sniff out goals.

“As an older, more experienced player – I never thought I’d say that! – he’s allowed me to bring what I had in the past into the present and it’s paying off.”

The influence of the Class of ’92 is also powerful.

“Scholsey is here almost all the time and sometimes joins us in training.

“Last week he said he couldn’t get in properly because he didn’t have his boots on. But he never lost a ball during the game so he didn’t actually have to get in! Even now, his standards are crazy.”

“He’s there most of the time, so we can go up to him and ask him what he thinks about the game.

“The defenders had a meeting with Gary Neville a few weeks ago and the team has kept more clean sheets recently. Things like that help strengthen the team.”

Udoh played 20 times for Crewe across 2015/16 and 2016/17, but it was not until 2019/20 that he played regular football in the Sky Bet EFL.

He now needs just two more goals to reach 50 goals in the top four.

He still has to pinch himself sometimes.

“I would have never thought I would be a professional footballer playing in the EFL. That was always the goal and goal, but sometimes it felt quite far away.

“I’ve worked as a fish and chip delivery driver, worked in a chicken factory, worked as a carer… so many things.

“But I come from a hard-working family, so from a young age my parents always told us to do our best in whatever we do, whether it’s a garbage collector or a cleaner, and that’s something I’ve tried to apply to my football game and to life in general.

“The fact that I can say I have played almost 250 league games is a testament to everyone who believed in me and gave me a chance, the managers I worked with in the past and everyone who always told me to believe in myself and push myself as much as I could.

“I have the mindset to never say no and to keep working hard. You never know what can happen.”

It is no surprise that he wants to “go for the gold” and help Salford win the League Two title.

“A good season for me is promotion. I came here to win and that’s what I want to do.” Udo adds:

“And even though – God forbid we touch wood – I would be absolutely delighted if we didn’t score between now and the end of the season and got promoted.”

Watch Salford v Newport live on Sky Bet League Two on Sky Sports+ on Tuesday 17 February. Kickoff 7:45 p.m.