Tottenham’s Danny Rose Thanks Sunderland for Opportunity
Tottenham Hotspur left-back, Danny Rose, can’t thank Sunderland enough for helping him breakthrough into Spurs’ squad following his season-long loan spell (2012-13) and getting into the England national team.
Loan moves are what typically helps players breakthrough their parent club’s squad. But sometimes it doesn’t exactly work out. For Danny Rose though, his time spent on Wearside was a huge success and something that he can’t thank Sunderland enough to this day.
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During the 2012-13 campaign, Rose would go on a season-long loan with the Black Cats and make 27 league appearances, starting in 25 games.
That kind of experience played a part in helping Danny Rose earn playing time with Tottenham the next year before injuries (foot and knee) kept him on the sidelines and limited him to just 22 league appearances.
But despite an injury-laden 2013-14 season, Rose’s past two years as Spurs’ starting left-back has been very good to the point that he was finally selected to represent England. And now, with the 2016 European Championship around the corner, the 25-year-old defender is a part of Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad along with four other Tottenham teammates: Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker.
“The year was massive,” Danny Rose said (via Sunderland’s official site).
“Without Sunderland giving me that chance, I don’t think I would be here doing this interview.”
“It meant everything to have a club that was willing to believe in me and show me and my family great affection, even now when I go there.”
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“I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me and for a club to give you that chance and believe in you means the world – they treated me as if I came up through the academy system,” Rose continued.
“I did really well there winning man of the match awards and having the fans sing my name, and Martin O’Neill had a great impact on how I was playing.”
“I still try to go up there and watch games whenever I can – I went to the game against Everton where they won to stay up [this past season] – and it’s a good three and a half hours from London, but I don’t think there’s any other way I can say thank you to Sunderland.”
“It’s something that I’ve done before and I’ll keep doing whenever I get the chance.”
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The kind of support that Danny Rose has shown towards Sunderland, to watch games live even though they’re three-and-a-half hour drives from London, shows how much he appreciates the Black Cats for taking a chance on him and believing in him. While also welcoming his family too.
It’s not often that you find players who have that kind of quality that Rose has shown: to support a team that you went on loan with and gave you an opportunity to make it with your parent club.
It’s both admirable and a feel good story for the 25-year-old that has come full circle now that he has made it with Tottenham and England thanks to Sunderland.