‘I fell out of love with the game, but now I’m on the up again...’
Not many footballers make the dramatic decision to move 3,500 miles in a bid to get their career back on track and prove the doubters wrong.
Yet former Sunderland winger Rees Greenwood has done just that.
The academy product looked to have the footballing world at his feet when he was handed his Sunderland firstteam debut by then-manager Sam Allardyceint he early summer sunshine at Watford more than four years ago.
Having come through the youth set-up with the likes of George Honeyman and Jordan Pickford, Greenwood’s career appeared to be on an upward trajectory, having impressed Allardyce.
It wasn’t long, of course, before Big Sam was appointed England boss and though that didn’t last long, Greenwood’s career was to also move in a very different direction after his one and only Sunderland appearance.
Later released by Sunderland, Greenwood was to turn out for the likes of Gateshead, Falkirk, Spennymoor Town and even Northern League side West Auckland Town.
Now, having regained his passion for the game, Greenwood has signed for Laval United in the second tier in the United Arab Emirates.
It has been quite a journey. Having joined Sunderland aged eight, he was released less than 18 months after that 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road, joining National League club Gateshead on the final day of the January 2018 transfer window.
Despite remaining as a fulltime, professional footballer with the Heed, moving into non-league football proved to have a detrimental impact on the winger.
In an exclusive interview, he told The Echo: “I left Sunderland on the last day of the transfer window which realistically didn't give me an opportunity to find a new club.
“I ended up signing for Gateshead, but I had a chance to go to Carlisle United on loan, but there was an issue between them and Sunderland, so that didn’t happen for me.
“That was really frustrating because it wasn't the first time loan moves were blocked.
“I just wanted to play men’s football, I’d played Under-23s, and wanted to progress further.
“I’d been there since I was 17, I wanted to kick on again because it just wasn’t happening for me. I tried to take a different direction, but it didn’t work out.
"Dropping down the leagues was something I didn’t adapt to. I fell out of love with the game for a spell.”
A summer move to Scottish club Falkirk failed to spark his career, so a move back to England, and back into non-league football with Spennymoor Town, followed in the summer of 2019.
His time with the National League North club was brief, as a loan deal, followed by a permanent move, to Northern League side West Auckland Town was secured just three months later.
His time at West Auckland offered him a chance to regain some of his passion – until he was handed an unexpected opportunity to return to the fulltime game by newly-formed Laval United.
Now, almost 3,500 miles from home, the 23-year-old is settling into life in a different culture and preparing for a new season that will get under way at the beginning of December – although there is a need for flexibility with Covid-19 still causing issues.
Speaking over Zoom, he said: “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks and I am just adapting to the weather and the time difference.
“I’ve had a few training sessions, and it’s very different to back home because it’s over 30C, even when you train later in the day. It’s been really enjoyable so far.
“I spoke to my family about the move, especially my Grandad because he has followed me everywhere.
“I was running quite a bit during lockdown, and working in the house, so I had quite a bit of time to think.
“I know I have talent, I thought ‘why let it go to waste?’, so this move was something that had played on my mind.
“The way that the club wants to move forward really excites me.”
Greenwood has always been viewed as a younger member of any squad he has featured in during his career - but there are signs of growing maturity as he embraces a new role within the Laval squad.
“I want to bean experienced figure, I want to help the boys as much as I help myself,” he explained.
“They want to do what I want to do, they want to kick on, so if they have questions for me, I try and help out as much as I can.
“It’s a role I want to do, it’s a perfect opportunity to grow up, to act like a senior player and to try and help pass on information.”
Greenwood will not have to look far for inspiration of what it takes to reach the highest level of the game.
Former Newcastle United and Northern Ireland midfielder David McCreery has been named as the club’s Vice-President and 37-times capped West German international midfielder Wolfgang Rolff will be his head coach.
The former European Cup and UEFA Cup winner can offer knowledge of working alongside the elite, after coaching the likes of Mesut Ozil and Kevin De Bruyne.
Although a career facing players of their calibre may seem far-fetched, Greenwood does aspire to return to Europe at some point. But for now, he is focusing on life in the Middle East and proving the doubters wrong by getting his career back on track.
“For now, I just want to get back fit, to get back into the routine of being a professional footballer,” he said.
“I don’t want to look too far forward, but it is something that is in the back of my mind.
“If I do what I have come here to do, maybe I can get back there at some point.
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead, I just need to be where I know I can be.
“I want to try and work hard to surprise the people that I know have doubted me over the last 18 months.”