How Liam Delap has blossomed into ‘best young English striker’ thanks to famous dad and Ipswich superfan Ed Sheeran

LIAM Delap has been 1 of the Premier League's standout signings this season.

Ipswich Town parted with £20million to bring the ex-Man City youngster, 21, to Suffolk.

But that volition beryllium wealth good spent if his goals support Kieran McKenna's broadside successful the apical flight.

Already, Delap has managed six goals successful 12 league games, and was a fistful for Ruben Amorim's Man Utd broadside past weekend.

The 6ft1in centre forward, who was handed a Premier League debut by Pep Guardiola successful 2020, was successful 2 minds successful joining Ipswich successful the summer.

That was until minority proprietor Ed Sheeran got progressive to get the transportation implicit the line.

And present Delap is being touted arsenic Harry Kane's successor for the striker relation for England.

BBC Sport pundit Danny Murphy said: "I've seen him a spot rather a batch this play and I'd astir apt spell arsenic acold arsenic I say, for me, helium the evident semipermanent successor to Kane.

"I deliberation he's the champion young English striker out there.

"I cognize he's got a spot to larn and contented comes with acquisition and crippled clip successful this league.

"But he's got each the attributes to beryllium a apical planetary player."

Sheer brilliance

It's not often 1 of the biggest popular stars successful the satellite has a manus successful getting a transportation woody implicit the line.

However, erstwhile it's Ipswich Town superfan Ed Sheeran, past it becomes much understandable.

When he's not gatecrashing Sky Sports interviews with caller Man Utd brag Amorim, the singer/songwriter is asking players to articulation the nine helium has shares in.

Back successful the summer, Sheeran got connected a Zoom telephone with Liam Delap and convinced the him his aboriginal belonged successful East Anglia.

In a communicative told beryllium the club's CEO Mark Ashton astatine a Soccerex event, we learned: "A section man, planetary superstar, sponsor of the football club, present a shareholder and present officially portion of our recruitment team.

"In the summertime we were trying to transportation 1 peculiar subordinate to articulation the shot nine and realised precise rapidly that helium was an Ed Sheeran fan.

"Ed jumped connected a Zoom telephone with him astatine the grooming ground, hopefully that was a cardinal portion of getting the subordinate crossed the line."

While Ashton remained coy connected who the subordinate was, helium fto the feline retired of the container erstwhile asked however the footballer was getting connected this season.

He replied: "Certainly scoring a fewer goals!"

It's successful the genes

Football is successful Delap's blood. His dada Rory played for Stoke City, and Delap Jr appeared connected the acceptable of Soccer AM successful 2014 alongside his father.

The erstwhile Stoke City and Ireland midfielder is champion remembered for his insane agelong throw-ins.

As a younker player, that was thing that Liam besides had successful his arsenal.

However, erstwhile 1 genitor took objection to the youngster's long-throws helium refused to instrumentality different propulsion again.

“I deliberation helium was enactment disconnected erstwhile helium was astir an under-10!” Delap Sr. revealed successful an interrogation with Radio Stoke.

“One of the parents shouted that helium was ruining the crippled erstwhile helium took a propulsion and helium hasn’t taken 1 since.

"I don’t deliberation that volition beryllium portion of his game.”

However, 1 happening helium has inherited from his dad's crippled is aggression.

"(Aggression) ever been a portion of my game. I request it successful my game," helium said successful an interrogation with  the Manchester Evening News.

"When I'm connected that borderline it's erstwhile I'm astatine my best, it's conscionable not tipping implicit that borderline and everyone has told maine that they'd ne'er privation to instrumentality it retired of me, it's conscionable controlling that last tipping constituent of what is acceptable and what's not.

"You can't truly thatch it, it's conscionable thing I person and I'm truthful grateful that I've got it but it's conscionable present moving a mechanics that I tin power it to support myself connected the pitch.

"I've got a batch better. I was a batch worse erstwhile I was younger truthful I deliberation it's conscionable maturing and knowing what's right."

Inspired by Ronaldo

A antithetic benignant of subordinate to his dad, blessed with powerfulness and pace, Liam is inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I've ever looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo. Just the mode helium plays, the gait and the power.

"For me, he's the champion successful the satellite truthful aspiring to idiosyncratic who is the champion successful the world, your dreams conscionable person to beryllium high.

"Listening to radical that he's worked with, the extras and lengths that helium goes to look aft his assemblage and get amended each time conscionable shows wherefore he's astatine the apical level.

"You tin person endowment but endowment connected its ain doesn't enactment without effort."