Serbian wonderkid’s Toon link
Benidorm with friends during a break in the fixture calendar after the Clarets lost their next match.
The penny soon dropped but, as former team-mate Michael Duff puts it, ‘you can take the boy out of Bury but he is still that lad’.
“Kieran was full of energy, enthusiasm, messing around, pranking around and he had to learn to adapt that because that would be the same on a night out,” the Cheltenham boss said.
“He would be out two or three nights a week. I’m pretty certain that he would tell you, himself, that he wasn’t the best pro in terms of his lifestyle but he was a young player. He was good enough to get away with it.
“The moment he addressed that side of it and learned the game, in terms of his defending and becoming a better pro, the next thing you know he’s playing in a Champions League final, a World Cup semifinal, a Euros final and playing for Atletico Madrid. It’s pretty selfexplanatory with the ability he had; he just had to learn the other side of the game.”
Leaving Atletico and life in the Champions League for an immediate relegation battle with Newcastle may seem a brave move, but Trippier has not always picked the most straightforward option.
In 2010, for example, the right-back asked to go out on loan to Barnsley at the age of
19 when a number of his fellow academy graduates were content to stay put at Man City.
The loanee was soon affectionately called ‘chav’ by his new teammates because of his love of a tracksuit, and he quickly made an impression.
Stephen Forster, who was Barnsley’s captain at the time, told the Chronicle that the new arrival was ‘not scared’ to speak up in the dressing room but, on the flipside, was ‘always willing to listen’.
For Bobby Hassell, who was another of Trippier’s former team-mate at Barnsley, that first taste of men’s football taught the Bury native how ‘it’s all about winning’. “Trips realised quite quickly that three points matter,” Hassell said.
“He had a few rollockings by the senior players at halftime and after the games in his first month or two, but he adapted really quickly. It was just about professionalism and taking his job seriously.
“He was a quick learner and adapted to the environment straight away. He was a tremendous trainer. He just enjoyed football. I can always remember his enthusiasm to play and that stood out for me.”
Trippier was mainly used on the right wing at Barnsley but has since become a more complete full-back under Diego Simeone in a position that he only started playing in by accident rather than design.
Man City’s under-15 side were short of defenders one Sunday morning so Trippier, who started off as a midfielder, dropped back.
Jim Cassell, the club’s academy manager at the time, never forgot how the enthusiastic Trippier would be willing to metaphorically ‘play football on broken glass’ so it was hardly a surprise that the youngster relished his new role.
“It was like a hand in a glove,” Cassell said. “In those days, even, your full-backs had to be better than just crunchers. They had to be able to handle the ball. They had to be athletes.
“It was the start of the game changing a little bit. They had to be able to deliver the ball and Kieran often gets compared with [David] Beckham for his crossing ability. He never looked back from that day. He was so comfortable.
“We always wanted him to be better as a defender. For somebody that has a great feet, like a lot of players, he would hope that he wouldn’t get hit with the ball as often they should do as a defenders but he’s improved tremendously.”
Trippier was a defender, first and foremost, but the youngster still stayed behind with City’s staff to work on his crossing and free-kicks, which is a habit that has continued to this day.
Trippier, who often cushioned 50-yard passes on the back of the head of the club’s unsuspecting groundsman at Platt Lane, went on to be a key player in City’s FA Youth Cup winning side in 2008.
Although Trippier was stretchered off in the dying moments of the final against Chelsea, the right-back soon emerged from the tunnel after the game to collect his medal while wearing a protective boot - which perhaps summed up his mentality even then.
NEWCASTLE United have been linked with a shock move for Fiorentina wonderkid Dusan Vlahovic.
The 21-year-old Serbian striker has scored 18 goals in 22 games for I Viola in Serie A this season and is being tipped for big things.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Man United and Juventus have been linked with move for Vlahovic but reports are now claiming the Magpies have entered the mix.
Earlier this week, reports claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side had made a £46million offer for the Serbian, plus Lucas Torreira who is currently on loan with Fiorentina.
However, the Daily Mail claim the striker is set to snub Arsenal and hold our for a “more ambitious project”.
Newcastle are in the market for a striker after Callum Wilson was injured in their festive clash with Manchester United.
A striker is on the Magpies January shopping list - according to reports - with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang linked with St. James Park in recent weeks.
Vlahovic is the latest name to be linked with a move to Tyneside, but, the striker has kept his cards close to his chest when asked about his future, stating: “Only God knows what will happen next.”
He added: “There is a good football story being made here in Florence. We have a good team, great players, great support from the fans. Everything deserves respect.”
The 6ft 3’ striker came through the youth ranks at FK Partizan before signing his first professional contract with the club aged 15.
Vlahovic was handed the number nine shirt and made his debut in the Serbian SuperLiga in 2016, becoming the youngest ever debutant in Partizan history.
His performances attracted the attention of Fiorentina who signed the striker on a five-year deal, aged 18.
The Serbian has gone from strength to strength, scoring 43 goals in just short of 100 appearances.
According to La Repubblica (h/t Sport Witness ), Manchester City see Dusan Vlahovic as the “perfect striker” and have been a long term admirer.
Dusan