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Sotona snubbed United for move to Nice... now he aims to thrive with Killie

By Graeme Croser

IT’S been a couple of years since Deji Sotona was wooed by Patrick Vieira to the extent that he turned down a threeyear contract with Manchester United. The winger was on the books as a youth player at Old Trafford but felt sufficiently loved by Vieira to instead sign for Nice in pursuit of a first-team breakthrough.

Viera’s departure just weeks later put a sharp end to those prospects and since then the 19-year-old has been craving another route to the top.

A loan move to Kilmarnock may not have been the first option that sprang to mind but now that he’s here and a part of Derek McInnes’s squad, Sotona (below) wants to make a splash.

Born in the Irish town of Waterford, Sotona is a youth international for his country but wants to make his mark at senior level. He said: ‘I’ve made sacrifices in my career and going to Nice was one of them but that was all about first-team football and trying to showcase my talent.

‘Not many players would turn down the offer of a contract from Manchester United — it was the hardest decision of my career but I chose to go to Nice because Patrick Vieira was the manager.

‘He called me and said that I would be playing for the first team straight away so it was a no-brainer for me.

‘Unfortunately, he was sacked a few weeks later and it was tricky for me because the new coach had different ideas. That was a bit of a struggle but I’m here now to prove myself.

‘I learned a lot over there and I gained experience training with first-team players and watching them play.

‘But I’m at the stage now where I need to play regular firstteam football in front of big crowds and feel the pressure. I think that’s when I’ll show what I’m capable of.’

McInnes has signed Sotona and Arsenal loanee Ryan Alebiosu to add more pace to a squad that took the Championship title last season but needed more dynamism to have ambitions of thriving at Premiership level.

‘I spoke to Ryan about coming here,’ says Sotona. ‘I played against him when he was at Arsenal and he told me the move would be very good for me.

‘I’d say that pace is my main attribute, although I like to dribble as well. I’m very quick and I can play anywhere across the front line, right wing, left wing, striker.

‘I’ve mostly played on the left flank but I’m trying to play on the other side more often so I can be more two-footed. I’m hoping to be involved and the manager says I should be. I’d be happy to make my debut from the start but I’ll take as any minutes as I get.

‘Celtic and Rangers are the biggest teams in Scotland and I know all about them from watching them on TV. There should be a big crowd here, too, so this will be a good start for me.’

Sotona got his first run-out in Killie colours during an SPFL Trust match against Cowdenbeath in midweek when he scored the third goal in a 3-0 victory.

He is likely to start on the bench today but McInnes, who still hopes to add another striker within the current transfer window, views him as a potent option.

‘Deji has ability,’ says McInnes. ‘We did not have too much footage of him but I had seen him live and some people I know in the game had spoken about him.

‘He is actually one we enquired about last January. At the start of pre-season, we tried again. He had a couple of weeks at Stoke and Derby and was probably trying to get himself involved at Championship level in England.

‘I knew Iain Moody, who is the chief executive at Nice, having been at Palace, Cardiff and Watford, and after a conversation with him, I knew there was a deal to be done.

‘He is a bit behind in terms of pre-season work but we got him involved in the colts game

‘He scored, played well and showed exactly what he will be.

‘He is young and small in stature, but he does not lack confidence and he has that added dimension of speed.

‘We now have boys here who can start games and others who can come on and be game-changers at different stages.’

Football

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2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

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