Tom Lawrence is a Welsh-born footballer who plays as a striker. A graduate of the Manchester Academy, since the age of 18 he has been a member of the national football team for Wales, where he demonstrates dribbling that is extraordinary for his growth.
Biography: childhood and adolescence
Thomas Morris Lawrence, better known as Tom Lawrence, was born on January 13, 1994 in Wrexham, north Wales. He spent his childhood there. He began to get involved in football from an early age. Tom often accompanied the older kids who loved to kick the ball in the next street. Lawrence has been a fan of the English club Manchester United since childhood. Later in an interview, Tom noted that then he was terribly jealous of his players and dreamed of being in their place. To get closer to his dream, Lauren decided to get serious about football.
Tom learned the basics of playing on the kids' team at the Everton Club. When he was eight years old, his parents enrolled him in the Manchester United academy. Lawrence has gone through all the age groups of the Red Devils. He later recalled that he got a good school. The oldest English club for several decades has held its place in the top teams with the most productive academies, behind only Barcelona and Southampton. And Tom was one of the best kids in his age group.
He started out as a midfielder. However, he subsequently shifted to the center of the attack, where he began to feel comfortable. Despite his tall stature, he learned to master the dribbling technique perfectly. Combined with endurance and good field vision, Lawrence stood out from the crowd at a young age, attracting the attention of breeders.
When he turned 16, he landed a spot on the Wales U-21 team. Tom showed not only a spectacular, but also a productive game. A year later, he won the FA Youth Cup.
In the same year, Lawrence suffered several injuries. If rehabilitation after the first lasted only a couple of weeks, then the second injury knocked him out of the rut for a long time. The footballer was forced to miss most of the important games. He returned to service only at the beginning of 2012.
Career
After the injury, Lawrence sat on the bench for a while. He soon realized that it was difficult to break into the base. Then Tom agreed with the leadership of the academy to move to another club on a lease basis. So, in 2013, Lawrence was sent to Carlisle United. This is an English club from County Cumbria. Plays in the second League, the fourth most important division in the football league system of Foggy Albion. In his composition, Lawrence spent nine games, scoring three goals. Then he was hungry for football, which resulted in impressive goals and valuable passes that helped the team more than once. Local fans appreciated his signature dribbling and always warmly welcomed Tom to the stadium.
Soon the coaches of the Manchester United academy returned Lawrence from the loan and again allowed him to enter the starting lineup. In the 2013/2014 season, he distinguished himself in games for the academy in the U21 football championship. So, he scored the ball in the semifinals against Liverpool. In the final, the Red Devils met with Tottenham. In the decisive match, Tom's accurate pass led to the goal of Larnell Cole. This happened literally in the last seconds of the match and allowed Manchester to win. Then Tom interested many breeders of English clubs. However, the management of Manchester decided not to sell the young footballer.
In 2014, Lawrence was invited to the main roster of the club. He made his Premier League debut against Hull City. However, Tom only played one match. The then coach Louis van Gaal 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 play in the second League. With Yeovil Town, the Welshman has played 19 appearances. He chalked up two goals. Despite the meager "catch", Tom became one of the key players in the team. The footballer was highly praised by Gary Johnson, who was then coaching the Glovers. However, Yeovil Town was relegated to the lower league at the end of the season.
Acting on loan for various clubs, Lawrence has shown a neat technique and a willingness to "hard" work on the field. In his native Manchester United, this was 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 roster of the new club did not gain a foothold. For the Foxes, Lawrence played only three games and did not score goals. The club decided to give the player on loan. So Tom ended up at Rotherham United, where he played 6 games and chalked up one goal.
In 2015, Tom defended the colors of the first League club Blackburn Rovers on loan. 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. With Ipswich Town, Lawrence played 34 games and hit the opponent's net 11 times. At the end of the season, he won two club awards: "Best Player of the Season" according to footballers and "Best Goal of the Season".
Soon Derby County became interested in the striker. In August 2017, he bought the rights to it from Leicester City. The contract is for five years. The transfer amount was 5 million pounds. Tom has already played 51 games for Derby County this season, scoring 10 goals.
Lawrence also continues to play for the Wales national team.
Personal life
Little is known about the Welsh striker's personal life. Unlike some football players, he was not noticed in high-profile love scandals. Judging by his profile on one of the social networks, Lawrence has a girlfriend. The footballer periodically posts joint photos.
