Tom Lawrence is a footballer of Welsh descent who plays as a striker. A graduate of the Manchester Academy, from the age of 18 he has been a member of the national football team of Wales, where he demonstrates dribbling extraordinary for his growth.
Biography: childhood and adolescence
Thomas Morris Lawrence, better known as Tom Lawrence, was born January 13, 1994 in Wrexham, North Wales. His childhood passed there. He began to get involved in football from an early age. Tom often kept company with older kids who loved to kick the ball in a nearby street. Lawrence has been a fan of the English club Manchester United since childhood. Later in an interview, Tom noted that he was terribly jealous of his players and dreamed of being in their place. To get closer to his dream, Lauren decided to seriously engage in football.
Tom learned the basics of the game in the children's team of the Everton Club. When he was eight years old, his parents enrolled him at the Manchester United Academy. Lawrence went through the teams of all age groups of the “Red Devils”. He subsequently recalled that he had received a good school. The oldest English club for several decades holds a place in the top teams with the most productive academies, letting only Barcelona and Southampton forward. And Tom was one of the best pupils in his age group.
He started as a midfielder. However, later he shifted to the center of the attack, where he began to feel comfortable. Despite his high growth, he learned to master the technique of dribbling. Combined with stamina and a good vision of the field, Lawrence already at a young age stood out against other players, attracting the attention of breeders.
When he was 16 years old, he got a seat at the base of the youth team of Wales. Tom showed not only a spectacular, but also an effective game. A year later, he won the Youth Cup of England.
Lawrence received several injuries that same year. If rehabilitation after the first lasted only a couple of weeks, then the second injury permanently knocked him out of the rut. The footballer was forced to miss most of the important games. He returned to operation only by the beginning of 2012.
Career
After the injury, Lawrence sat on the bench for some time. Soon, he realized that it’s difficult to break into the base. Then Tom agreed with the academy to transfer to another club on a rental basis. So, in 2013, Lawrence was given to Carlisle United. This is an English club from the county of Cumbria. Performs in the second League, the fourth most important division in the system of football leagues of the Foggy Albion. In its composition, Lawrence spent nine games, scoring three goals. Then he was hungry for football, which resulted in impressive goals and valuable programs that helped the team more than once. Local fans appreciated his signature dribbling and always warmly welcomed Tom to the stadium.
Soon, the Manchester United Academy coaches returned Lawrence from the lease and again allowed to leave the starting lineup. In the 2013/2014 season, he excelled in the games for the academy in the championship among football players under 21 years old. So, he scored a ball in the semifinals against Liverpool. In the finals, the Red Devils met Tottenham Hotspur. In the decisive match, Tom's accurate pass led to Larnell Cole's goal. This happened literally in the last seconds of the match and allowed Manchester to win. Then Tom became interested in many breeders of English clubs. However, the management of Manchester decided not to sell the young football player.
In 2014, Lawrence was invited to the main club. He made his Premier League debut against Hull City. However, Tom had only one match. The then coach Louis van Gal did not find a place for him at the base.
In the same season, Lawrence managed to play on loan for three English clubs at once, including:
- Yeovil Town;
- Leicester City
- Rotherham United.
The first two clubs are in the second league. As part of Yovil Town, the Welshman entered the field in 19 matches. He chalked up two goals. Despite the meager “catch”, Tom became one of the key players in the team. The football player was praised by Gary Johnson, who then coached the glove box. However, Yeovil Town flew out to the Lower League at the end of the season.
Speaking on lease for different clubs, Lawrence demonstrated neat technique and readiness for “hard” work on the field. In his native Manchester United, this is not appreciated. And soon the player became interested in Leicester City, representing the top division of English football.
In 2014, the club bought Lawrence from Manchester. However, Tom in the main part of the new club did not consolidate. For the "foxes" Lawrence spent only three games and did not score goals. The club decided to rent the player. So Tom ended up at Rotherham United, where he spent 6 matches and chalked up one goal.
In 2015, Tom, on loan, defended the colors of the club of the first Blackburn Rovers League. The footballer played in 14 matches and scored two goals. Subsequently, he changed teams every season. So, in the period from 2016 to 2018, Lawrence played in the following English clubs:
- Cardiff City
- Ipswich Town;
- Derby County.
For the first club, he did not score a single goal, although he entered the field in 14 matches. As part of the Ipswich Town, Lawrence played 34 games and hit the opponent’s goal 11 times. At the end of the season, he won two club awards: “The best player of the season” according to the players and “The best goal of the season”.
Soon the attackers became interested in Derby County. In August 2017, he bought the rights to it from Leicester City. The contract is designed for five years. The transfer amount was 5 million pounds. In the new season for Derby County, Tom has already played 51 games, scoring 10 goals.
Lawrence also continues to play for the national team of Wales.
