Delph: Fabian

2006-2009 (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Bradford: 21/11/1989

Debut v Derby County (a) (substitute): 06-05-2007

5‘9” 9st 6lbs (2008)

Delph was on the books of Bradford City as a youngster until he moved to Leeds United in September 2001, aged just eleven. Delph went to Tong Secondary School, but left in 2006, when sixteen, on a two year scholarship with Leeds United and he completed his education at the Boston Spa School. He was given his debut at Leeds as a substitute, in the fifty-third minute, as replacement for Robbie Elliott, in the final match of the 2006-07 season at Derby County on the 6th May 2007. He was awarded his first professional contract on 11th January 2008. Delph was the forty-fourth player used in the first team by Leeds that season, making it a record. He made a further substitute appearance in the 3-0 League Cup defeat at Portsmouth on 28th August 2007, coming on for Jonathan Douglas after eighty-three minutes. He signed a two and a half year contract with Leeds in January 2008. He was a very highly rated player and his progress was being monitored by several leading clubs and in March 2008 he represented England as a substitute at Under-Nineteen level. He made two substitute appearances for Leeds in 2007-08. Delph impressed then Manager Gary McAllister in the pre-season friendly against Barnet and played his first League Cup game against Chester City on 13th August 2008 and started to play regularly for the first team. He impressed so much that he was handed a new four-year contract on 5th September 2008. He scored his first senior goal the following day at Elland Road against Crewe Alexandra and was soon hitting the highlights with some stunning long-range goals. His form was such that it was rumoured that Arsene Wenger was contemplating a £6 million bid and Chairman Ken Bates reported he had turned down a bid from Newcastle United. His form saw him selected for the England Under-Twenty-one squad and he came on as a eighty-sixth minute substitute for Craig Gardner of Aston Villa against the Czech Republic on 18th November 2008 at Bramall Lane. Leeds turned down two offers for Delph in the January 2009 transfer window. His good form continued and he was nominated as League One player of the year and won the Football League "Young player of the Year" award. After Leeds failed to gain promotion at theend of the season there was reported interest from Everton, Manchester City, Fulham, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur. However, on 3rd August 2009, it was Aston Villa who signed Delph at an undisclosed fee, but thought to be in excess of £6 million. After playing in a pre-season friendly against Fiorentina on 8th August 2009, he made his Villa League debut on 15th August 2009 in their opening fixture at home to Wigan Athletic. He scored his first Villa goal on 23rd January 2010 in the home F.A. Cup tie with Brighton and Hove Albion. He added three more Under-Twenty-One Caps to his collection to make his total four as he started in Gronigen on 11th August 2009 and played fifty-eight minutes before being substituted by Jack Wilshere of Arsenal in a 0-0 draw with Holland. On 7th November 2009 he played a full game in a 0-0 draw with Lithuania in Vilnius and a week later he started but was substituted by Dan Gosling of Everton in the ninetieth minute in a 1-0 win over Portugal at Wembley. He was struck down by a cruciate ligament injury which he received in training on 17th April 2010, sidelined him for eight months. He had been used relatively sparingly, making four starts and four substitute appearances in the League and six games in the F.A. Cup and one start and one game from the bench in the League Cup. He also played in the UEFA Cup against Rapid Vienna. On his return to the first team, he played against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park on 26th December 2010, but in the very next game in a 4-0 reversal at Manchester City he picked up a knee injury which sidelined him for two further months. He made a couple of substitute appearances, one at left back in a 4-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers and he was retained in that position against Manchester City in a 3-0 Cup defeat at Manchester City. He played a large part in Villa's 2-1 win at Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season but again picked up an injury against Liverpool in a 1-0 home win in the final game on 22nd May 2011. On 3rd March 2011, Delph signed a new deal with Aston Villa keeping him at the club until 2015. 2011-12 saw him staking his claim for a regular spot and had made nine starts and one substitute appearance by the end of November 2011. Unfortunately, he only made one further appearance and on 20th January he was loaned to Leeds United until 25th February 2012. He made his first appearance of his loan spell on 21st January 2012 in a 3-1 win over Ipswich at Elland Road. He had played five games but in the fifth appearance at Coventry City on 14th February 2012 he received an ankle injury. On 16th February he returned to Villa Park for treatment and it was much more serious than at first thought and it would keep him out for the rest of the season. His loan to Leeds was then terminated. While at Villa Park, to the end of the 2011-12 season, he had started eighteen League games and come off the bench for eight more. He had also scored once in seven F.A. Cup starts and played twice in the League Cup, one of which was as a substitute, and once in the UEFA Cup.