It seems intriguing to think that Nigel Pearson once described Danny Drinkwater as “quite a complicated character”. Pearson, the former Leicester City manager, intended that to be a compliment rather than a criticism as he tried to explain the midfielder’s reluctance to engage with the media a couple of years ago. Drinkwater, it has since transpired, grew up admiring Paul Scholes not just for the way he played but also because of his steadfast refusal to give interviews.
Over the past 12 months or so Drinkwater’s stance has softened a little and the 26-year-old has stepped out of the shadows on and off the pitch. From being unable to get into the Leicester side this time last season, when the Midlands club were bottom of the table, Drinkwater has emerged as a key player in their remarkable Premier League title pursuit, to the point that his England call-up for the friendlies against Germany and Holland feels like a natural progression.
Tenacious and industrious alongside the outstanding N’Golo Kanté, who has been named in Didier Deschamps’s France squad for the first time, Drinkwater has made more tackles than any other English midfielder this season. He is also an accomplished passer of the ball, both long and short, and Claudio Ranieri was quick to highlight the fact that Drinkwater has chipped in with a couple of important goals since the turn of the year.
The Italian’s arrival in the summer following Pearson’s dismissal provided Drinkwater with a clean slate after a frustrating first season in the Premier League. At times then he was forced to watch from the bench as Pearson preferred Matty James or Andy King to play alongside the evergreen and hugely influential Esteban Cambiasso in the centre of the pitch.
Indeed Drinkwater started only two of Leicester’s final nine games during that extraordinary run-in last season and it is tempting to wonder how differently things might have turned out had James not ruptured a cruciate ligament in the penultimate home match. What cannot be disputed, however, is that Drinkwater has taken the opportunity that presented itself superbly, so much so that the experienced Gokhan Inler, who was signed as a high-profile replacement for the departing Cambiasso, has barely had a kick.
After a few pre-season matches, Ranieri took little time to be converted to the merits of playing Drinkwater and has been delighted with what he has seen. “He is always available for his team-mates to ask for the ball,” Leicester’s manager said. “There is a very good partnership with Kanté, they switch together, they understand together, and it’s solid and strong. And I like Drinky when he goes to the tackle, he wins the tackles – for me that is important. Also there is a very good balance from when we go forward and when we defend, he’s very attentive.”
In a Leicester dressing room where Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel set the volume control and there is no shortage of characters, Drinkwater provides a more calming presence. Ranieri painted a picture of a man who chooses his words carefully but is invariably worth listening to when he makes a point. “You have to know him because sometimes he observes everything and maybe doesn’t speak,” Ranieri said. “But afterwards, when he says something, it is the right thing.”
Drinkwater’s road to the top has not been straightforward. Although he was schooled at Manchester United, where he played alongside Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley in their junior and youth teams, Drinkwater never got the chance to represent the club he grew up supporting and still follows closely now. There were loan spells at Huddersfield, Cardiff, Watford and Barnsley before he ended a 13-year association with United and moved to Leicester in January 2012, at the age of 21. With the benefit of hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened to him.
Whether he can replicate his excellent club form on the international stage remains to be seen but anyone who has witnessed Drinkwater’s performances for Leicester this season, in particular those moments when he is unable to conceal his frustration, knows just how determined he will be to impress and get everything spot on. “When he makes mistakes he gets very angry,” Ranieri said, smiling. “I love him because he wants his best.”
