91Èȱ¬

Dedication and support

At school I was one of the first two or three picks in games for football, but I didn't play for my district or my county very often. I was a bit of a late developer. I think everyone is born with a certain gift. I've been born with a sporting gift and a natural ability. Also, I was really helped by my parents. They ferried me to every game I went to play. They took me there on cold days.

My mum was there with the heating on in the car before the game had finished with a flask of tea and blanket to wrap me up in. My grandparents also helped out in the early days. I think you need a lot of dedication, a lot of support and a bit of ability as well.

Believe in your own ability

I went through school telling everyone I was going to be a footballer. That was it. My teachers were like 'No you need to sit down and do your class work'. I quite enjoyed school. I'd sit through my lessons and do what I had to do during the lessons so I could get out and kick a ball around. It was in my head ever since I can remember.

I started down at Torquay. Down there we were getting 3,000 or 4,000 fans a game. At 16-years-old that was a lot, but then to take the step up to Manchester United and to be playing in front of 40,000 to 50,000 at 17 was quite scary.

I don't think you enjoy it to start with because you're so nervous. You're playing with the likes of Bryan Robson, seasoned veterans that are world class players. You don't want to let them down.

18 months previously I'd been sat at home watching Match of the Day with my dad and watching all these people on TV. Now I'm in the same team playing on the same stage so it's really nerve-racking. That's when you get to know the good players... the ones that'll stand up and be counted.

At Manchester United I knew from the day I got there that I wasn't actually good enough, but I had the potential to be good enough. You've got to believe in your own ability, keep your head down, work hard and just trust what you've got.

Total dedication

The rules were set and you stood by them. I used to train everyday. I didn't go out very often and if I went out during the week it was to the pictures or somewhere quiet. I'd go out on a Saturday night after we played and that was it really.

On bank holidays, when the lads are out, or Christmas or New Year it's like 'No, no you're staying in,' and I think that's part of the dedication. A lot of people in the street don't realise the discipline needed to be a top sportsman.

It can be tough when you wake up and it's freezing. You think 'I really don't want to go out,' but you get out there. You have a cup of tea with the boys and you start having a bit of banter. You wrap up, put your sweatshirt, your wet top and your tracky bottoms on and you go out. By the time you're 10-15 minutes into the training session you're concentrating and you're warm.

I used to love training. I loved the banter around the dressing room. I loved the fact that you're getting paid to do something you love. There were a number of times when Alex Ferguson used to be banging on the windows of his office to get us off the pitch because we didn't want to come in.

Love what you do

You grow up as a kid being good at it because you love it. For me loving it was what it was all about. That's why I wanted to be a footballer because I just loved doing it day-in day-out. I'd be at school playing it, I'd finish school and I'd come home and play it.

I say keep playing football with a smile on your face, and enjoy it. My mum and dad used to drag me off the streets to get me to bed at night as I was still outside playing football. The teachers would drag us in from break time and lunchtime. Alex Ferguson was dragging us off the training pitch when we were at Manchester United. There's always something that you can practice with a football and it's one of the most enjoyable sports to play.

Have a go

I think there are two ways to look at sport. You can either try to be a professional or you can play for fun. I played football professionally, but I love to play other sports for fun: golf, tennis. I'll have a go at anything for a laugh and a bit of competition with my mates.

Sport is something that teaches social skills and life skills. You become part of a team. You're forming relationships and friendships. You have to show respect to your fellow team mates and your opposition. You can be high and up one day after a really great performance, then really down and low the next day because you've not played as well and you've not performed as well. I think it teaches you how to deal with the difficult times as well as the good times. Sport is a phenomenal way to teach kids about that.

Don't look back

You make decisions in your life the best you can at the time you make them. When I went to Manchester United my dad said 'You're going to get swallowed up,' but that was a decision that had to be made. Leaving Manchester United was also a decision that had to be made.

The one thing I would change is not being as bothered about how I played, that was one of my downfalls I think. Although I enjoyed playing, when I didn't play well I'd spend days thinking about where I'd gone wrong, and what I needed to do to put it right.

Go for it

It's the pure love of the game. I just loved knocking a ball around. When you're training on a pitch at the cliff or you're practicing at Old Trafford before a game, its picture perfect stuff isn't it. You're playing with new footballs on lush green turf with nice white goals and big nets, and it's what you grow up dreaming about. I just wanted to keep firing the ball into the back of the net, taking shots and crossing balls in.

I don't expect everyone to be sat at home having the same dreams and the same visions that I did. Some people are mad about IT, some are mad about other sports. People get excited by different things. If you find something that you love and you're passionate about, then you need to go for it. You can't be sat at home on your backside talking a good game and thinking about it, you need to go out there and do something about it.