'People say my dead dad's still alive – I block out conspiracies as I seek England career'

· Mirror

One of Manchester City's rising stars has endured quite the journey in his footballing career

Lakyle Samuel isn't letting conspiracies surrounding his father's death stop him from achieving his ultimate dream. The Manchester City academy graduate, who signed on loan for Exeter City this season, is the son of the late former Aston Villa star Jlloyd Samuel.

Jlloyd enjoyed an eight-year career at Villa Park before various stints across England, Wales and Iran led to his return to the UK as a player-manager for the Cheshire-based side Egerton.

His time with the club was brutally cut short in May 2018 when he died in a car crash. The former defender's Range Rover had collided with a van, leaving his vehicle ablaze. Years after his passing, the circumstances surrounding the latter years of his life and his tragic death remain ominous.

After departing Bolton Wanderers in 2011, Jlloyd joined Iranian side Esteghal and reportedly married a second wife and converted to Islam without his family's knowledge. His second spouse, a fashion designer named Helia Sahimi, insists that the former footballer is in fact alive - a belief held by Jlloyd's sister, Leslie-Ann.

Jlloyd's death came just hours after taking his children, including Lakyle, to school. The footballer opened up about his memories of spending time with his father in a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Mail. The 20-year-old said: "I've got memories of playing football in the garden with dad, him doing drills with me in the hallway.

> "He's influenced me a lot. My mum tells me what he did in the past. I just want to be the best person I can be. He was a great person to a lot of people. They say he was the life of the party, and whenever I meet someone who knew him, they speak really highly of him.

"I take that on. I always want to be a bubbly character and as nice as possible." Lakyle has made a bright start to what is a burgeoning career, having already trained with the England and Man City senior teams. He possesses a clear goal in mind and admitted that the conspiracies about his father are something he blocks out.

He added: "I just hope he's proud. I've given a lot to get where I am, especially going through that. It's tough to deal with. I just try and block it out (conspiracies about him). It doesn't have much to do with my life.

> "I've had my experiences with him and if other people want to say other stuff, I'm not too bothered. I've had what I've had with him and it's not going to change my point of view on him. He gave us a really good upbringing. He’s dad, innit?"

Lakyle - who plays for England's U20 side - cited the advice he's received from Kyle Walker on how to become a better defender and explained how his experience training with the Three Lions came about. The right-back said: "Kyle Walker was a really good role model.

> "He told me some key details on defensive body shape. The level of detail Pep (Guardiola) goes into is mad. It raises your game because you have to be on it. I'd go and train with them quite a bit. Last October, England came calling."

The defender was on duty with the U20s when Thomas Tuchel was in need of extra players in training. "I only knew about half an hour before!" he revealed. "The tempo of the session was high because they're the best players in the country. I didn't feel I did too bad! I was really proud to have that experience."

Lakyle's first foray into the professional game last year came with League Two side Bromley, and he has returned to the fourth tier with Exeter City this season. Expectations are high on the youngster, who certainly has lofty ambitions for himself.

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