EXCLUSIVE: Chuba Akpom’s football life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster, admitting that he once ‘didn’t know where he would play or live’…but he is now reaping the rewards of his ‘hard work’ and faith in Boro boss Michael Carrick
- Chuba Akpom is reaping the rewards of his hard work after a roller coaster career
- He was once banned from the Middlesbrough first team by Chris Wilder
- But Micheal Carrick played him in a deeper role and he scored goals
There are a number of places where you can start the story of Chuba Akpom’s rollercoaster life in football.
Perhaps it was when he joined the acclaimed Hale End academy at Arsenal aged six, signed a professional contract aged 17 and was name-checked by Arsène Wenger as one of The Gunners’ brightest young stars.
Or perhaps the woe of six loan spells across the country in search of first-team football, four of those short-term moves ending with the striker returning to North London without scoring a single goal.
Or how he took the plunge to swap gritty Football League spells for the scorching Greek heat of Thessaloniki with PAOK, invincible on their way to a league and cup double.
But probably the best place to start is last summer when he was relegated to Middlesbrough’s Under-23 squad by Chris Wilder and crashed onto the bench of team-mate Uche Ikpeazu.
Chuba Akpom admits he once ‘didn’t know where he was going to play or live’
The attacker has had a rollercoaster career, but is now reaping the rewards of his hard work
Akpom also claimed he once had to crash on the bench of his teammate Uche Ikpeazu (pictured)
“I didn’t know where I was going to play or live,” he says. “I kept my head down with Uche and worked hard so I was ready for what happened next. I had packed my bags.’
The two friends have since had opposite fortunes. Ikpeazu, also a striker, has yet to score for Turkey’s Konyaspor, while Akpom was surprisingly recalled to Boro’s first team on the eve of the season due to a few injuries. He hasn’t looked back since then, with 28 league goals this season.
“I’ve often wanted to quit,” he tells Mail Sport. “When things went wrong with loan or not getting into teams, I could have taken my foot off the gas.
“But I kept working hard and I saw light at the end of the tunnel and I knew I was going to be okay.
My greatest strength is my mindset. I never doubted myself – work hard and you’ll be fine.’
And how it worked out. Akpom stormed home with the championship’s top scorer award – 38 percent of his total career in a single season – and was voted the division’s player of the season. The striker especially thanks one person for his resurgence: Michael Carrick.
The former Manchester United midfield general came in with Boro 21st in the table, but quickly helped them up the division, winning 15 of his first 20 games. “Michael is the manager I’ve dreamed of my whole career,” he says.
Carrick saw that Akpom was more than just a proper striker and dropped him into a deeper role, often with Cameron Archer or Matt Crooks leading the way.
He was also once relegated to the U23s by former Middlesbrough coach Chris Wilder
But the Arsenal academy graduate has worked his way to the top of the game in recent years
He also thanked his current coach Michael Carrick for playing him in a deeper position
He is now the Golden Boot winner of the championship and has scored 28 goals this season
“Carrick immediately appealed to me,” he says. “In his second session, he put me in that new role. I’m so thankful he did – it brought out the best in me.
Michael is a top man. The blunder is so humble… he would say he has nothing to do with my form but I want to tell people he has been the key. I can’t praise him enough for what he’s done for my career.’
Carrick is one of a line of former Manchester United coaches to feature in the EFL this season, with Kieran McKenna winning promotion at Ipswich and Neil Wood guiding Salford to the play-offs. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told The Athletic: “I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be United’s manager if he wants to be.”
High praise, but he’s got a job to do elsewhere first, starting with a trip to Coventry today.