Grady Diangana inspired by Declan Rice as he looks to make own impact at West Ham

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Up-and-comer: Grady Diangana
West Ham United via Getty Images
Giuseppe Muro19 March 2019

It feels like the eyes of the nation have been firmly fixed on Declan Rice in recent months, but Grady Diangana may have been watching his development more closely than anyone.

Diangana came through the ranks at West Ham with Rice and has seen his friend star in the Premier League this season and earn a call-up to the England squad.

Aged 20, like Rice, Diangana has made his own breakthrough in this campaign. The winger scored two goals on his West Ham debut in an 8-0 win over Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup last September and has made 18 appearances under Manuel Pellegrini.

A player with beautiful touch, balance and the ability to glide past defenders, Diangana is an exciting talent who hopes to learn from Rice and be a big part of West Ham’s future alongside him.

“Seeing [Declan] gives me a lot of inspiration,” says the attacking midfielder. “I believe I can get to where he has got to and what he has achieved, making over 50 appearances for the first team.

“But it is not just what I see on the pitch, off the pitch he is excellent. Everything he does is excellent. Whether that is warming up, whether that is in training, everything he does is excellent. Just the way he carries himself.

“I have realised this season you have to be excellent every single day. There is no way you can switch off and not take it seriously. You have to be high quality every day.

“He can be having a laugh and a joke but when it is time to train and be serious he just switches [mode]. On the pitch he is amazing as well, he never makes mistakes and is always calm on the ball. Because I see it in training, it does not surprise me.”

West Ham United via Getty Images

Like Rice, Diangana seems to have the right attitude to succeed. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to England at the age of four, growing up in south London.

He is a street footballer who, as a teenager, would watch videos of Brazil greats Ronaldinho and Ronaldo before going to the park to practise his skills for hours by himself.

“I liked players who played with a smile on their face,” he says. “I have always been a creative player.

“I used to watch Brazilian players, then go to a field and do kick ups or skills for hours because I enjoyed doing it. I guess that is how I developed. I still watch videos now sometimes. It gives me motivation because it makes me think back to why I started playing football. I think that is crucial. When you wake up every morning and you realise what you do and why you started doing it, it just changes your day.”

Diangana has been at West Ham since he was 10 and is one of a number of talented players coming out of the club’s academy. He has impressed manager Pellegrini and after summer signing Andriy Yarmolenko tore his Achilles tendon in October he started five games in a row.

His only two starts in 2019 have been in the FA Cup, but he signed a new six-year contract in January.

“It has been the happiest time of my football career,” he says. “It is challenging but I am enjoying it. When I was in bed after the Macclesfield game I do not think I slept. I was just thinking about how my chance has come and how much I have worked for it.

Griffiths Photographers
Griffiths Photographers

“I want to improve and I just focus on every training session and every match, trying to impress the manager.”

Diangana made his England Under-20 debut against Germany last November but he may yet face a dilemma over which national team to represent. But, for now, that is not his biggest worry.

“I just want to be more consistent,” he says. “And to continue enjoying the game and helping the team as much as possible. Whether that is starting the game, coming off the bench, helping in training to help get the best out of other players, just doing what I can.”

Grady Diangana was taking part in a healthy living workshop with children as part of The Players’ Project, which represents West Ham United’s commitment and vision to use to the power of sport to motivate, educate and inspire people in the local community.

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