From Kitchee to Blackburn Rovers – Hong Kong-born footballer Jay Haddow channels inner Michael Carrick after England move
- The 16-year-old midfielder recalls how Hong Kong football carved his composure and tactical awareness
- English-Japanese prospect explains passports are halting Hong Kong call-up – ‘it would always be an option to return’
Hong Kong-born footballer Jay Haddow intends to emulate a former Manchester United and England midfielder after signing for former Premier League winners Blackburn Rovers.
The 16-year-old central midfielder and right back spent four years at the Rovers Academy before earning a paid youth scholarship contract last month, which he attributes to a crucial characteristic: composure.
“It’s a bit of an underrated choice but someone like Michael Carrick,” Haddow said of his playing style, fresh off an afternoon Zoom yoga session with his Blackburn teammates.
“He’s always composed on the ball and to play for so long at a big club like [Manchester] United under Sir Alex Ferguson, I think he deserves so much more credit for making things look easy. I know there are other players like [Andrea] Pirlo or Xavi, but Carrick is someone who I really look up to.”
Haddow, of mixed English-Japanese heritage, left Hong Kong at the age of 12 for the Moorland Football Academy boarding school – about 20 kilometres from Blackburn’s Ewood Park in northwest England. Club scouts had identified the cool-headed passer before term had even started.