Former Everton wonderkid George Green is trying to rebuild his career - in Norway.
And the talented 21-year-old has opened up about his battles with depression and his willingness to help other young sportspeople by talking about his problems.
Green is a prodigiously talented young playmaker who was signed by Everton from Bradford in October 2011 for an initial £300,000.
The deal could have risen to £2m but Green failed to make a senior appearance for the Blues and moved onto League One side Oldham Athletic.
He then turned out for Ossett Albion in the eighth tier of English football, before being snapped up by Premier League Burnley after impressing on trial.
He spent six months at Turf Moor before being released again, then a phone call from Viking Stavanger coach Ian Burchnall, who had worked with Green at Bradford, offered him a fresh start.
“He was the main reason I came,” Green told Norwegian website Dagbladet. “I knew nothing about neither Viking nor Norway. I trusted Ian (Burchnall) and it has paid off. He is a wonderful coach.”
After joining Everton Green was handed a £45,000 signing fee, was christened “the new Gazza” and earned £4,000-a-month.
But he admits to blowing the bonus straightaway.
He said: “It went straight to my head. I just went out and blew the signing-on fee.
“You’re earning thousands of pounds a week and you get more leeway than other players. You don’t want to take liberties but I took more than one.
“I wasn’t going into training because I thought I was better than everyone else.
“Being an idiot. Being an absolute idiot, if I’m honest.
“They did everything they could but unfortunately I threw it back in their faces."
He suffered from depression and he admitted: “It was a tough time. I completely lived my life and did not take it seriously.
“It has been very difficult, yet it has made me the person I am.
“It has helped me grow up, and now my main focus is to get my career back on track. I just want to play soccer, and I get that here.
“I don’t know about any young players who have come out with personal problems and depression, but I’m more than happy to talk me about my experiences. And if others can learn from it, I’d rather help.
“I’ve gone through a lot and I know there are other young footballers out there who are struggling right away.
“It’s just about opening and having balls to talk about it.
“And I have balls to talk about it. The last few years have been the hardest in my life.”
Viking Stavanger are struggling in Norway’s Elitserien, six points adrift at the bottom and resigned to relegation.
But Green is just happy to be playing football regularly again.
“We are in a difficult situation,” he admitted. “There is a good winning mentality in the dressing room, but it’s about getting it out on the pitch.”
Green hopes he can use his Scandinavian experiences to get back out on a football pitch in England again.
“Without saying a bad word about Viking, I hope to play in the Premier League one day,” he added.
“I want to play at the highest possible level. Now I get good help in this very good environment.”
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