Would love to play in the Premier League in the future, confesses Jonathan David
Linked with a move to some of Europe’s biggest sides, KAA Gent star Jonathan David has admitted that he would like to play in England one day. The Canadian was in fine form for the Belgian side before the season was suspended with David enjoying a superb breakout season with 23 goals in 40 games.
His tally included eighteen league goals and five Europa League goals with the 20-year-old also contributing to eight assists along the way. Furthermore, David’s performances in both the Europa League and the Jupiler Pro League has seen him courted by the world’s biggest sides with interest from Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and even Liverpool. But that interest has failed to cause problems for the 20-year-old with his form showing no signs of a dip but instead showing signs of a uptick before the suspension.
However, while the Canadian has been linked with a move to Spain, Germany, and even England, David went onto admit that his goal is playing in the Premier League. The 20-year-old further added that since it’s the best league in the world and he wants to become one of the best strikers in the world, the two will align perfectly together. He also admitted that he's doing everything to help Gent to their league title although that won't be possible with the Belgian FA ending the 2019/20 season early.
“I want to become one of the best strikers in the world. That’s my goal. The Premier League is the best in the world and most competitive so obviously that is somewhere I would love to play in the future. I don’t really focus on that or think much about it. Right now I’m playing almost every minute of every game and that has really helped me get to the level that I need to be,” he told the Guardian.
"I just need to take a good step where I can make sure I am getting enough time on the pitch to keep developing. I don’t want to go somewhere and just stay on the bench so it’s about taking the right step."
While he has roots in Haiti and he was born in New-York, David instead opted to play for Canada at an international level and he’s flourished. The 20-year-old has scored a sensational 11 goals in 12 international games for his adopted country in what has been a lightning-quick start to his career for the Canadians. Not only that alongside Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies and others, the group is seen as a crucial part of an exciting generation for Canada with their aim to qualify for a second World Cup.
“Canada has given me a good life and made me the man I am today. I’m grateful for that and now it is really about giving back to the country which gave to me. That’s why for me it was a no-brainer picking Canada and really trying to do something special with the group we have now and put the country where it needs to be. For all of us the target is the World Cup in 2022, which I think we have a great chance of qualifying for. It would be amazing to play on home soil in 2026 but we know that is in the future,” he added.
Jonathan David in the 2019/2020 Belgian Pro League:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 2, 2020
most goals + assists (25)
joint most goals scored (18)
most non-penalty goals (15)
third most assists (7)
An outstanding individual campaign by the youngster. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/fAnrS3FW6u