Daniels: The Running Man

Released by Tottenham as a youngster, Charlie Daniels only clawed his way up to the Championship at the age of 26. Now the Bournemouth full-back is being talked of as a potential England left-back. Adam Bate caught up with him to find out how he did it…

Given that Charlie Daniels started out playing for Ridgeway Rovers, the same youth club that launched the careers of David Beckham and Harry Kane, it’s tempting to feel that the Bournemouth left-back was destined to make it to the top. In truth, there are times when the Premier League adventure he’s currently enjoying must have felt a long way off.

It wasn’t even an inevitability for Kane, the player who Daniels used to give a lift to Leyton Orient’s Chigwell training ground when the striker was on loan there as a teenager. After all, the last time that the pair played alongside each other ended in a 3-0 defeat to Tranmere. Even so, Daniels remembers the potential.

“He grew up where I grew up so I got to know him really well,” he tells Sky Sports. “He was only 17 so he wasn’t really built like he is now but his finishing with left foot and right foot, you could tell there was something special there.

“He’s taken his chance because he finally got his opportunity. That’s something that a lot of youngsters don’t get at big clubs.”

Although delivered with an easy charm, it’s a pointed remark given that Daniels himself was released by Tottenham following three loan spells and not a single minute of first-team action. At least he could be grateful to former Spurs coach Martin Jol. It was his advice that set Daniels on a different path by encouraging him to convert from a left-winger into a left-back.

The problem is that while a striker’s goals can demand attention, a full-back can only do so much to get back to the top – particularly when still at Orient at the age of 25. “It’s through promotion that you get the chance,” says Daniels. “For a lot of defenders it has to happen that way, unless you play when you’re very young.

“It’s all about getting that chance. Whether someone would sign you is another thing. A lot of managers will buy players that have played in the league before. That’s not a criticism of managers, that’s their prerogative. But there are a lot of players in the lower leagues who could play in the Premier League.

“You can see them coming through. Look at Aaron Creswell [who scored the …

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