The English midfielder, who was recently called up to the national team by Roy Hodgson, has been one of the driving forces behind Leicester City’s meteoric rise to the Premier League summit.
A Manchester United academy product, Danny Drinkwater left for the Foxes in 2012 and has gone on to show his former club what they’ve been missing in midfield.
Drinkwater recently spoke out about his move from Old Trafford, mentioning Paul Scholes, whom he referred to as a mentor, as being one of the players he could not displace from the first team.
“People like Paul Scholes were in my way at United — what are you going to do with that?” he said, according to the Metro.
“You just look at him as an idol. I have watched him since I was a little kid. I couldn’t have had a much better teacher.”
The 26-year-old was gutted when he left the Red Devils in 2012, but Leicester City’s charge for the Premier League title coupled with his England call-up have more than made up for that disappointment.
“Probably leaving United was the lowest point,” Drinkwater added. “I supported them, it was my childhood club… You can always have self-belief, but leaving a club like United was huge – look where we are now though.”
The midfield solution that the Red Devils let go
Danny Drinkwater spent four seasons at Manchester United, but could never break into the first team. After featuring as a substitute in a match against Hull City in 2009, Drinkwater was dispatched on loan to Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City, Watford and Barnsley over the next three seasons. In 2012, he left for Leicester City and has been a key player for the Foxes since then.
The native Mancunian has grown into a quality defensive midfielder. He has the ability to keep the ball and press opponents, making him a solid presence in midfield. Drinkwater is also an accurate passer and distributor of the ball, playing a pivotal role in Leicester City’s lethal counter-attack this season by initiating attacks from deeper in midfield.
