NAT DOESN’T MISS CITY LIFE

NATHANAEL OGBETA was once the golden boy for Manchester City and England youth but says complacency led to him having to rebuild his stalled career at Shrewsbury.

Now the defender is relishing putting his body on the line in League One after leaving the cosseted world of elite development football, which he says can harm young players.

The Salford-born star, 19, joined City when he was ten but said his lack of drive shattered his top-flight dreams.

‘I had a great reputation – at Under17 and Under-18 I was England and Manchester City captain,’ says Ogbeta.

‘But subconsciously you get comfortable. I didn’t understand the work and sacrifice needed to be a top player.

‘In big games I felt I didn’t have to show everyone what I can do. It got to the point where I lost everything.

‘In the Under-23s I started off well, got injured and thought I would walk back into the team but I couldn’t get a game and was back with the 18s.

‘I went from being highly rated to a boy no one was really thinking about.’

In the last year of his City deal Ogbeta had been hoping to move abroad when Shrewsbury made a bid this January.

‘I realised now it was as time to go and fight for my place. I want to show what I can do. I think it is the best decision of my life. I have a licence to go and express myself. It is fantastic – a breath of fresh air.

‘At City you get handed a lot but it can be detrimental. Players get comfortable, they are getting paid a lot, they are driving nice cars – they get too much too soon and it affects their desire to kick on.

‘At a big club the politics and hierarchy can kind of pick the team sometimes. But B here it is whoever is doing best is going to play, so you have to be on it every day. It has really ignited a desire to improve.’

And Ogbeta is relishing the change from sterile development football to a League On One relegation battle where the result is vital.

‘Th ‘The desire to win is so different. It is fantastic. You have to put your body on the line,’ he says. ‘You are not just doing it for yourself, you are doing it for your team-mates and their children – there is so much at stake. It is physically harder. I felt I needed to toughen up.’ Not that he is about to forget all he picked from nearly a decade at City. ‘Teams want to get you into their rhythm of playing.

‘They kick it long and want to make the game a scrap. But I have the focus on not panicking in possession and showing the things I learned and allowing it to influence my team so we keep the ball.’

Incredibly Ogbeta has yet to meet boss Steve Cotterill (left), who is still recovering from Covid.

But the manager has still been a huge influence with his remote briefings.

‘You can hear the passion Steve has when he is on the phone,’ says Ogbeta. ‘It is crazy. I have never felt someone’s words so much without seeing them.

‘When he gets back out there I am going to learn so much from him because when you see his desire and will to win from hospital you know he really understands what it takes to win games.’