Jason Grégory Denayer (born 28 June 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al Fateh and the Belgium national team.
He was named in Belgium's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 and made one appearance, playing in their quarter-final tie against Wales.
Youths at the academy do not play normal competition football, instead taking part in small-sided games among each other, focusing on technique and education in a private school.
[8] In the summer transfer window, Denayer signed his first professional contract at Manchester City after a successful trial.
[10] Denayer was ever present for the club's campaign in the UEFA Youth League, where he made eight appearances, scoring once in a 6–0 win over Bayern Munich.
[18][19] Four days later, on 20 August 2014, Denayer made his Champions League debut, in a 1–1 draw against Maribor, where he was part of the starting line-up.
[22] By the end of December, Denayer had made 17 appearances for Celtic[23] and formed a solid partnership with Virgil van Dijk in central defence.
[26] However, Denayer immediately ruled out joining Celtic on a permanent basis, insisting that he hoped to earn a first team place at Manchester City in the near future.
"[28] Denayer won his first major trophy on 15 March 2015 when he played in Celtic's 2–0 win over Dundee United in the League Cup Final at Hampden Park.
[31] The next day, Denayer was voted the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year, with his teammate Stefan Johansen taking the overall prize.
[33][34] Denayer played his first game for Galatasaray on 15 September 2015, in a UEFA Champions League tie against Atlético Madrid.
Denayer provided the assist for the only goal of the game on 30 minutes; a flick on from Emre Colak's corner on to Lukas Podolski who headed in from close range.
[54] Denayer was included in further international squads for Euro qualifier matches against Bosnia and Wales and for a friendly against Iceland.
[55] Denayer made his senior international debut for Belgium on 31 March 2015 in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier away to Israel at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
He replaced Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke in the 67th minute of a 1–0 win which put Belgium at the top of the group.
[56] Denayer made his first start for the senior side on 7 June 2015, in a friendly match against France in Paris which Belgium won 4–3.
[57][58] Manager Marc Wilmots substituted Denayer late on in the match for a minor knock sustained, and pointed out that it was after this that France scored twice to pull the game back to 4–3.