So, when I sat down and was told that I was just getting one extra year on my scholarship option, I was taken aback. The coaches were open and honest with me: unless I suddenly sprouted to six feet two inches or more in no time at all, I wasn't going to be a professional goalkeeper at the club.
It was a bitter pill to swallow because it was something that was out of my control. I'd always worked hard and trained well, I'd been in the same England youth squad as Jordan Pickford, Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Eric Dier, but I couldn't suddenly knuckle down and grow three inches overnight.