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Huddersfield Town: Nathan Eccleston interview
Not many 19-year-olds are rewarded with a three-and-a-half year contract at Liverpool.
And while he was bizarrely bitten on his debut, teenage sensation Nathan Eccleston is already proving his appetite for goal at Huddersfield Town.
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Striker Eccleston arrived with a big reputation last month following his loan switch from Anfield in the January transfer window.
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The Manchester-born teenager is regarded as one of the hottest young properties within Rafa Benitez's group of youngsters and it did not take long for the forward to show his prowess, netting the only goal in last weekend's win at Yeovil.
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A debut to remember then, but there will always be a more outlandish reason to remember Eccleston's first start – for being bitten by Glovers defender and assistant manager Nathan Jones.
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However, as far as the Huddersfield loan star is concerned the accident has been somewhat overplayed and more bizarre to Eccleston was the fact he needed stitches for the first time in his career.
Reflecting on the biting escapade, and a highly eventful debut, Eccleston said: "That's kind of been blown up into the sky a bit, but what actually happened was the player tackled me and as he fell he fell on to my leg.
"As he fell his teeth pierced my skin and I had to have stitches in it, but it's not a real problem.
"It was the first time I've ever had to have stitches, never mind anything else, so that was a bit weird but it happens in football and it was obviously accidental.
"I did an interview on the day before and I was saying while it would be good to get my first goal of the season, what was more important was to get the three points.
"Obviously I was happy to get the goal but to get all three points as well was crucial."
Expressing his delight with his first 10 days at the Galpharm, he went on: "I'm finding it's going really well.
"Obviously, I have just been there just over a week and training has been a little bit different to at Liverpool, but the staff and the players are all quality.
"They are a good set of people down here and they have made me feel very welcome. I'm enjoying it."
Given his red-hot reputation Eccleston was in big demand as a loan signing during the January transfer window and the targetman revealed he turned down several other offers to join the Terriers.
He also knows assistant boss Terry McDermott's Liverpool links undoubtedly played a part.
"To be honest I'm not quite sure how it came about, but when I actually met Terry he said he had been monitoring my game down at Liverpool," said Eccleston.
"It was my agent that got in contact with me on the Tuesday and he let me know that Huddersfield were interested and while there were other clubs interested I thought my best bet was to go there, get out on loan and gain the experience that I needed.
"Scunthorpe were interested in me and there was a slight interest from Blackpool, but that was just talk, and then Tranmere Rovers were interested in me as well.
"But I felt because Scunthorpe were not doing particularly well in the Championship at that time and because they seemed to be struggling I thought Huddersfield was my best bet.
"They are pushing for promotion, they have got some good footballers and Martin Kelly who used to play for the club – he spent part of last season here – was full of praise and that kind of made my mind up for me."
Defender Kelly is now back at Anfield after impressing during last year's loan stint at Town and Eccleston too is quite clearly in Benitez's long-term thoughts.
The 5ft 10in hitman has made two appearances for the Red men, making his competitive debut last October in the Carling Cup match against Arsenal before gaining his first league start, again as a late sub, a few days later against Fulham.
A 42-month contract is proof that it is at Anfield where the exciting forward's immediate future lies and Eccleston is determined to one day make the breakthrough and impressing at Huddersfield can only help his cause.
"Obviously I have just been rewarded with a new three-and-a-half year contract but the manager thought it was best for me to go out and gain experience," he said.
"I'm still young, I'm only 19, and he has assured me my future will be at Liverpool but it's based on me getting experience and I need more experience to go back to Liverpool with.
"If I can show what I can do in League One and try and help Huddersfield get promotion then that can only benefit me in the long run at Liverpool.
"They are full of praise for me down there. They have got a lot of hopes for me and I've already been out twice with the first team this season, which has been good.
"I've trained with the first team a lot which, with their abilities, is obviously an achievement and I was delighted to sign a new deal.
"It's going really well to be honest.
"As of yet I have not made my home debut – both of the games that I've played have been away.
"It would be good to go back in pre-season and go away with the first team and hopefully show what I can do and start the Premiership season being in and around the squad more often."
Eccleston is now very much Liverpool's man and very much a Red, for all his temporary switch to the Galpharm, but the targetman was actually a Red Devil as a youngster and had a trial at Old Trafford after beginning his career at small-town neighbours Bury.
"I was born in Manchester and I used to play for Bury when I was a kid," he said.
"I also went and trialed at Manchester United but, because of compensation, nothing got agreed which was unfortunate. But then Liverpool came about and with it being Liverpool that was just as big a buzz for me. Obviously a kid signing for Liverpool is a big thing.
"I was a Man U fan as a kid but now I'm neutral.
"I'm from Manchester, I'm a Manchester lad so I still watch out for Manchester and still support the team but I am employed by Liverpool so, obviously, I support the team that I'm employed by."
Being an Anfield employee has had Eccleston rubbing shoulders with some illustrious names with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres top of the pile.
However, while he was in awe at first, Huddersfield's new loan capture has become accustomed to training alongside such world class players.
Unsurprisngly, as a striker, it is Torres whom he aspires to follow.
"The first time I started training, like everybody else I was just a fan of the likes of Gerrard," admitted Eccleston.
"But the more I started training with them, the more I got used to it, and they are just like anybody else really. But it's still unbelievable to train with those types of players.
"These players are some of the best in the world and hopefully you can learn off them, especially with Torres playing in my position."
After rubbing shoulders with such illustrious names Eccleston should have few problems settling into life at his new temporary home – his loan deal with the Terriers having been extended to the end of the season.
And Eccleston is also already familiar with both Krystian Pearce and Danny Drinkwater from his England youth days as well as former Liverpool player Lee Peltier – the pair even use the same hairdresser.
"I played alongside Krystian Pearce for England and Danny Drinkwater, he is obviously a Manchester lad so I know him from going out and stuff," Eccleston explained.
"Lee obviously used to play for Liverpool. He's a Liverpool lad and, as yet, I'm living in Liverpool and we get our hair done at the same barbers. He also started off in the youth team and that so I knew him a little bit from then."
Given his pedigree, and the familiar faces alongside him, it is perhaps no surprise Eccleston has settled in in double-quick time in West Yorkshire.
It may only be a temporary switch, but that is not stopping the ambitious starlet upping sticks to make the very best out of his short-
term stay.
"At the moment I am looking for a property in either Huddersfield or Manchester," he said.
"I don't know where at the moment, we'll see, but as I'm here until the end of the season I think that will benefit me more than being in Liverpool.
"I'll just be renting obviously but the three months I'm here it will just be easier rather than coming all the way from Liverpool."
Come the summer Eccleston will be returning to the Premier League and Liverpool but if the new Terriers starlet has his way, his current loan club will not be going back to life in League One.
"Obviously that's what we are pushing for, to get into the top two to get automatic promotion to the Championship," he said.
"But if we continue to do well and just concentrate on our game and our performances then the rest will take care of itself.
"We're pushing for promotion, that's the main thing. We're full of ambition and we're looking forward to trying to get into the top two if not the top six."
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