Gyabi's First Interview

New Argyle signing Darko Gyabi has had a fascinating journey in his footballing life so far, despite still being five weeks short of his 20th birthday.

Midfielder Gyabi joins the Pilgrims on loan from Leeds United, but before heading to Elland Road, he had been a member of the Manchester City academy, learning lots from being involved with one of the top clubs in Europe.

“I started at Millwall around under-11, then I moved to Manchester City when I was under-14,” Gyabi told Argyle TV. “From a young age you learn so many things, you play against the best players in the country and you train with the best players in the country, so you pick up little things, add it to your game and you improve.

“I left City in 2022 to move to Leeds, got some experience last season in the Premier League and the FA Cup. I found games tough to come by this season, but now on loan to Argyle, which is another brilliant step for me.”

Gyabi is acquainted with new Argyle boss Ian Foster, who was the England Under-20 manager when Darko was called into the squad for the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2022.

Gyabi scored in England’s group-stage win over Uruguay, who would eventually go on to win the tournament, and feels that the experience was another valuable one on his road so far.

“It was one of the best experiences I've had,” he said. “It was quite hostile when we scored against Uruguay, I think all the fans in Argentina were against us., I think we played well, just got unlucky in the round of 16, but it was a really good experience.”

Gyabi is on loan with the Pilgrims for the rest of the season, and says that while he wants to gain experience by playing Championship minutes, he also values what he can learn from the rest of Argyle’ talented squad.

He said: “I just want to help the team win games, work hard and learn from the other boys as well, because I know there's a lot of senior experience here.  

“I’ll try to work hard, when it's going our way and when it's not going our way. I’ll try and get on the ball and create. 

“It all made sense. The opportunity to come to Argyle was there for me, I know the gaffer already and know some of the boys. It was a perfect opportunity for me.”