‘I was so hard up, Mum & Dad bailed me out with £7 petrol money’

out of fuel. I had £7 in the bank. That wasn’t going to get me back. Mum and Dad ended up bailing me out.

“No one thinks that kind of thing happens to professional footballers, do they?”

So, what about the self-belief and embarrassment?

Well, Cook returned to Brighton, who couldn’t make their minds up as to what sort of defender he was.

“Gus had given me a chance as a right-back,” said Cook. “We played Hastings in a Sussex Senior Cup game. I played my home-town team – and I was horrific. I was just so embarrassed.

“I was playing against mates of mine. They were in the Ryman League and I was the professional. I couldn’t look them in the eyes afterwards. I was awful. Something had to change.

“I told Gus I didn’t think I was a right-back and he was shocked. But he listened. Deep down, I think I backed myself that I was better than the Under-21s or non-League.”

And the dogged perseverance? “Lee Bradbury brought me to Bournemouth, initially on loan. But his successor, Paul Groves, didn’t see me starting.

“I’d trained pretty well but we were struggling in League One. We were second-bottom. I found myself back in the team because of an injury. “Since then, I’ve not been out of it.” No wonder there is confusion at Bournemouth as to why centre-back Cook has been overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate.

Brighton’s Lewis Dunk, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings – who was let go by Howe – have been called up. Cook is not fishing for caps. But he did undertake a DNA test recently.

He said: “I went on an ancestry search website because my dad’s side of the family is unknown.

“I matched up 98 per cent with somewhere I’ve never heard of – I can’t remember off the top of my head – so I think there’s a bit of digging to be done.

“I did it out of curiosity, rather than to play football for another country, but you never know.

“For me, the England thing is still a dream.”