Yan Dhanda

Early career

Yan Joseph Dhanda was born in Birmingham and grew up in Tipton. His mother is from England, while his father was born in England to parents from Punjab, India. Dhanda began his youth career at Tipton Town before joining West Bromwich Albion at seven years old, signing for the club's academy at nine. In 2013, he moved to Liverpool for a deal reported to be worth £200,000, having previously rejected a move to Chelsea.

He attended Rainhill High School, nine miles from the Liverpool Academy. On 21 December 2015, Dhanda signed his first professional contract with Liverpool. Injuries affected his 2015–16 season. With the U18s, he scored seven goals, including against Manchester United and Everton, and provided a hat-trick of assists in a 3–1 win against Newcastle United on 1 October 2016.

In his final youth season, he moved up to Liverpool U23, scoring five times from 18 appearances, including a brace against Chelsea U23.

Club career

Yan Dhanda swapped Liverpool for Swansea City in May 2018, initially slated for the Under 23 side. He took the number 30 jersey. His debut came off the bench on 4 August 2018 against Sheffield United, and he bagged the winning goal with his very first touch in a 2-1 victory. But breaking into the first team proved tough due to stiff midfield competition, so he mostly featured for the reserves.

By the end of the 2018-19 campaign, he had six appearances and one goal across all competitions. For the next season, he changed his shirt to number 21. Under manager Steve Cooper, Dhanda split his time between starting and coming off the bench. He netted his first goal of the season on 2 October 2019, helping secure a 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic.

On 23 December 2019, he inked a two-year contract extension that ran through 2022. Just over a week later, on 2 January 2020, he scored the lone goal in another win against Charlton. He added a third goal on 8 February 2020, though Swansea lost 3-2 to Derby County. When the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dhanda had made 12 league appearances.

After play resumed without fans, he made four more appearances, mostly as a substitute, and started the Championship playoff second leg against Brentford, which ended in a 3-1 defeat. His 2019-20 season totals came to 19 appearances and three goals in all competitions.

International career

In January 2014, Dhanda was called up to the England U16 squad. He scored twice on his U16 debut in a 4–1 win against Denmark U16 on 11 February 2014, and made three appearances for England U16. In July 2014, he was called up to the England U17 squad for the Nordic Under-17 Football Championship, scoring twice in a 5–1 win against Iceland U17 on 29 July 2014. He played four times in the tournament as England U17 finished 4th. Dhanda has expressed a desire to represent India internationally and holds an Overseas Citizenship of India, but Indian law prevents overseas citizens from representing the nation in sporting events, and dual citizenship is not permitted.

Personal life

Yan Dhanda’s father is of Punjabi Sikh heritage. In July 2019, Dhanda spent a week in India, where his grandparents were born, visiting local clubs and schools to encourage children to pursue their ambitions. As a British Asian footballer, he has faced racism, which he says drives him to perform better. The most notable incident involved a 14-year-old from Kent who sent him a racist message after Swansea City lost to Manchester City in the 2021 FA Cup. While at Swansea, Dhanda also started learning Welsh.