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Sky Sports speaks to Udinese's Keinan Davis to discuss his surge in form in Serie A, departure from Aston Villa and thoughts on a potential call-up to England; Davis has scored 10 goals and added three assists; only Harry Kane has more goal contributions for English strikers
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Wednesday 1 April 2026 15: 51, UK The first renaissance of Keinan Davis' career arrived in Bedfordshire. The second, in an unorthodox route to discovering his finest form, came in Udine. After being released by Stevenage in 2015, aged 17, Davis was picked up by Biggleswade Town's U18s coach Dave Northfield. The same man who would persuade him to make the unlikely move to Serie A, with his career at a crossroads, having fallen out of favour at Aston Villa in 2023. "It was different. It came a bit towards the end of the talks that I did in the back end of the window and I had a lot of Championship options, " Davis said while speaking exclusively to Sky Sports. "That was just where my mind was at. I was focused on that and being from England, all I've ever known is just playing in England. My focus was just on England. "So, when Udinese came in, of course, it was different. I had to get some advice from an ex-manager, Dave Northfield. I asked him what he thought about it, because I take what he says on board. "Then he just set it out to me about playing at the San Siro instead of in the Championship. When I put it into perspective, I thought this is a no-brainer. "
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Since moving, Davis has hit new heights at club level and is firmly in the race for the Serie A Golden Boot award. The forward has 10 goals and three assists across 26 outings in Italy's top flight, tying him for third in the division and within touching distance of Lautaro Martinez at the top (14). However, this form has not always been the case for the 28-year-old. Despite showing his talent and promise in flashes at Villa, his six-year spell at the club was plagued by a host of injuries, curtailing any progress he could make in claret and blue. Loan moves to Nottingham Forest and Watford would follow, helping the former achieve promotion in the 2021/22 season with five goals and two assists, but the writing would be on the wall after returning to his parent club. "No, I didn't have conversations with anyone to be fair. When [Steven] Gerrard came in [2021], when I was on loan at Nottingham Forest, that was kind of the end really, " Davis said. "When I finished with Nottingham Forest and came back to Villa, just from how I was being treated when I got back, I knew it was kind of over. I didn't have conversations with anyone to stay. " After nine contributions and 34 appearances in the Championship for Watford in the season that followed, Davis knew it was time to make the move. Championship interest, given his exploits on temporary exits, gathered pace but it was a late twist in the transfer window that piqued his interest. Udinese, who had Beto, Lorenzo Lucca and Gerard Deulofeu on the books at the time, came knocking. It is a move that has paid dividends for both player and club - and one that has left Davis looking forward to his future, rather than looking back for a return to England. "A lot of players will feel that when they leave England, they kind of have an attachment there to always go back or when they leave, they plan to go back, " he added. "My plan was to never go back. My plan was just to see how high I could go across the world. "So now for me, I don't really have an attachment in the Premier League or in England. "I don't miss home. I like living here. I'm comfortable here. My family's comfortable here. I'm just enjoying football here. And yeah, of course, England is my home, but I'm not itching to go back or desperate to go back at all. " Fitness explains part of Davis' surge in form this season. He has already surpassed his highest minutes tally for Villa and is on course to play the most of his career in a single season. But getting out on the pitch is one thing; performing under the lights is another. "It's just mentality. I always felt like in my abilities, I was a good player and I could do what I'm doing now, but I just never really had the belief in myself, especially at Villa. "Coming through when I was a young player and my personality, I was just kind of happy to be there. "And if I got an opportunity, it was great. And if I didn't, oh, I'm at Aston Villa. So I was just thankful that I'm here from where I've come from. "When I look back, I don't regret it, but I should have taken it with both hands and been like, 'I'm here now. Let me just kind of throw my weight around a bit. ' "People always used to tell me that but it was just never my personality. Coming with age, I've developed a mentality to be like, okay, I'm here and I'm here to play. I deserve to be here. "I actually believe in myself now. Being away from England, with no safety net, it's just my family and me, and I've got to protect them. I've got to look after them. "That responsibility off the pitch has just bled onto the pitch and now this season, it's all coming together. " The upturn in form comes with strikers at the forefront of the England debate. Harry Kane undoubtedly leads the way in Thomas Tuchel's plans but with temperatures set to surge in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, can the 32-year-old England forward really play every minute? Davis' former team-mate Ollie Watkins has fallen out of favour, Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to grab his chance, Dominic Solanke is short of game time and the England boss has even turned to Phil Foden in a false nine position to try and address the issue. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Of strikers across Europe's top five leagues, only Kane has more goal contributions than Davis, who is also exploring the route of representing Jamaica. Davis, who featured for England at U20 level, continued: "To play for England would be incredible, but it's just never been one of the top things on my list to do. "Of course, I would love to play for England, that would be one of the proudest things I've ever done if I did play for England. "If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn't, then it's not something that I'm going to be desperate to do. But of course, I would love to. " An England call-up may or may not be on the horizon, but one thing is certain. With confidence at an all-time high, fitness now on his side and the goals flowing freely, a third renaissance will not be needed. "I'm here now, " is how he described it - and he's here to stay. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k! Enter for free.
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