My mum said she would kill me if I ever got a tattoo!
NATHAN REDMOND ON FAMILY, FORM AND THAT PEP TALK
RAHEEM STERLING had just snatched victory for Manchester City against Southampton with a 96th-minute winner but instead of celebrating with his jubilant squad, Pep Guardiola made a beeline for an opponent.
The City boss marched over to Nathan Redmond and delivered an animated critique of the Southampton winger’s performance.
Redmond, a goalscoring winger, had left an impression on Guardiola during the Catalan’s first year in England. A year on, he felt he had watched a different player.
‘Last season was one of the worst of my life,’ Redmond recalls, ‘I was thinking, this is not me, this is not the sort of player that has gained a reputation that even Pep Guardiola can say to me, “You are one of the best English players I’ve seen: why are you not taking on players like you did before?” ’
Southampton and Redmond continued to stagnate under Mauricio Pellegrino. Sometimes Redmond did not make the matchday squad and he trained with the Under 23s for two months.
When Mark Hughes replaced Pellegrino in March, the scars had not healed. ‘I remember Chelsea at home. I was still in a bit of a rough position and I was sitting up in my box. I was watching the game with a frustrated face, thinking, “What am I doing? I should be out there helping the boys get wins. Instead I’m sitting here in what feels like a world of trouble”.
‘I’d look at clips and think, “Who’s that? That’s not what I did at Birmingham and Norwich”. I was no use to anybody on the pitch. I’d get the ball and, as soon as I did, I’d pass it. That’s not me.’
In conversation, Redmond is earnest, intelligent and grounded. He is wise beyond his 24 years and when he fixes eye contact he doesn’t let go. He frequently mentions his straight-talking mother Michelle. His sister, Tilly, was stillborn in 2012 and the family’s heartache put football into perspective for Redmond.
‘My mum is the strongest woman I’ve ever known. To see something like losing a child break a woman who I thought was unbreakable . . . that makes me realise football is just a game. And I’m blessed to be able to play it. There are much bigger things, like being alive, waking up, being thankful. Stuff like that, which people take for granted.
‘My mum knows me best. I was in a place where I was making excuses for not changing on the pitch. My mum just said, “You are the only one that’s caused this. It’s nobody else”.’
She’s also responsible for his lack of tattoos, a rarity for a footballer. ‘My mum said if I ever got a tattoo she would kill me. But my mum has tattoos, so it makes no sense!’
Southampton stayed up, but Redmond needed to reset. He spent some of the summer in Los Angeles with Daniel Sturridge, Nathaniel Chalobah, Kieran Gibbs and Danny Simpson.
‘I’d had the worst season of my career and the only way I was going to fix that was by working on my body and mind, getting ready to come back to pre-season and be like, “This is it”. I wasn’t thinking about anything going on in the UK apart from the World Cup, which was nice to watch.’
Redmond has been capped at every England level from Under 16, progressing through the age groups with much of the squad in Russia. Sterling and Jesse Lingard are friends.
Gareth Southgate played a big part in his development during his time managing the Under 21s and senior team. Southgate handed Redmond his first and only cap against Germany last year.
Redmond hasn’t spoken to Southgate for a while (‘He’s had his hands full’), but is not surprised by his success.
‘When Gareth took over the 21s, there was a massive change. People were like, “Oh, the 21s have some really good players. How are they doing?” The next thing you know the 21s were getting a lot more fans at games. We were enjoying playing with England.
‘There were a lot of things Gareth changed in the 21s which he has implemented in the seniors. It’s paying off. He deserves the credit.’
How did he feel watching his peers in Russia? ‘I was proud of the players I’ve played with. I’ve been in the senior squad, I know it’s not out of reach, but it’s not something I’m thinking about. The main focus is about trying to get wins for this club.’
There is no disguising a frustrating season for Southampton. But despite scoring only eight goals, they are creating the fifth most chances in the division. They travel to Fulham today for Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of the Cottagers. ‘The whole club could do with a good result,’ he says.
Redmond praises Hughes for his man-management skills. ‘When the gaffer came in, he sat me down and said, “I know you’re not in a great place confidence-wise, we’re going to help you get it back”.
‘Now, whenever I get the ball, he’s egging me on. He tells me not to be afraid to lose it in the final third. That’s all you want in a manager, to have confidence in you.’
And as that confidence returns, Redmond looks back to that conversation in Manchester with Guardiola. ‘I’ll never be able to thank him enough for the words he said to me,’ says Redmond.
‘Anybody can pat you on the back and tell you you’re good and you’re doing well. But if you don’t really believe in it, then you’re not doing yourself justice.’