Yan Dhanda

Yan Joseph Dhanda was born in Birmingham, and grew up in Tipton. His mother is from England while his father was born in England to parents from Punjab, India. Dhanda began his youth career at Tipton Town before he joined West Bromwich Albion at seven years old. Dhanda made a decision to sign for the club's academy when he was nine. In 2013, Dhanda moved to Liverpool for a deal reported to be worth £200,000, spending five years in the youth ranks at Anfield. He previously rejected a move to Chelsea. Upon moving to Liverpool, Dhanda attended Rainhill High School, nine miles from the Liverpool Academy. On 21 December 2015, Dhanda signed his first professional contract with Liverpool. However, he was plagued with injuries during the 2015–16 season. In his first season with the U18 youth team, Dhanda contributed seven goals, including scoring against rivals, Manchester United and Everton. He once also provided a hat-trick assists, for the academy, in a 3–1 win against Newcastle United on 1 October 2016. His performance was praised by Liverpool U18s manager Neil Critchley. In his final season with the youth team, Dhanda moved up to playing for Liverpool U23 in the Premier League 2 campaign. He went on to score five times from 18 appearances, including a brace against Chelsea U23.

Swansea City

In May 2018, Dhanda left Liverpool to join Championship club Swansea City where he was originally expected to be with the Under 23s. Upon joining the club, Dhanda said: "I am really happy to be here. I was excited from the minute I knew Swansea were interested in signing me. I just wanted to get the deal done. I wasn't really getting a chance at Liverpool and I wanted to come somewhere where I hope I will have a better chance to play in the first team. I want to show what I can do. Once I knew Swansea were interested, I felt the club would suit me. I have watched the football they have played over the years and I hope coming here will bring out the best in me." He was given the number 30 shirt. Dhanda made his debut as a substitute for the club on 4 August 2018 against Sheffield United in a 2–1 win, scoring the winner with his first touch only moments after entering the field. However, he found his first team opportunities limited, due to strong competitions in the midfield position. As a result, Dhanda instead played for the club's Under 23s, which he was originally assigned. At the end of the 2018–19 season, he made six appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Dhanda switched shirt number from 30 to 21. He began to rotate between the starting line–up and substitute bench under Steve Cooper. Dhanda then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Charlton Athletic on 2 October 2019. On 23 December…

In January 2014, Dhanda was called up to the England U16 squad. He scored twice on his U16 debut, in a 4–1 win against Denmark U16 on 11 February 2014. Dhanda went on to make three appearances for England U16. In July 2014, Dhanda was called up to the England U17 squad for the Nordic Under-17 Football Championship. He scored twice for the U17 side, in a 5–1 win against Iceland U17 on 29 July 2014. Dhanda went on to play four times in the tournament, as England U17 finished 4th place in the tournament. Dhanda has expressed the desire to represent India internationally and carries an Overseas Citizenship of India. However, Indian law prevents overseas citizens from representing the nation in any sporting events, while dual citizenship is also not permitted. Despite this, he expressed his determination to represent India.

Dhanda is of Punjabi Sikh heritage through his father. In July 2019, he visited India (the birthplace of his grandparents) for a week with local clubs and schools to meet children and inspire them to follow their dreams. Dhanda has said that the racism he has encountered as a British Asian footballer inspires him to play at his best. The most prominent racial abuse that Dhanda received was from a 14-year-old child from Kent, who sent a racist message to Dhanda on social media following Swansea City's 2021 FA Cup loss to Manchester City. During his time at Swansea City, he began learning the Welsh language.