'I regret how quickly I left Man Utd after making my debut - now I work in a shop'

· Mirror

The former Manchester United academy graduate has opened up about his decision to depart Old Trafford

Richard Eckersley fulfilled every Manchester United fan's dream of playing for his boyhood club. However, he believes he left Old Trafford too early, and his fruitful life has now led him to working in a shop.

The former defender came through the academy ranks before making his first-team bow in January 2009 against Tottenham in the FA Cup. He made four appearances for the Red Devils and received a League Cup winners' medal after being named on the bench.

Sir Alex Ferguson gave the young right-back a place in the squad after he impressed against Manchester City's reserves days before the clash with Spurs at Wembley. While JJ Gabriel is currently weighing up his future with United, he is in no way the first Carrington prospect to face this tough decision.

The life of a footballer can take many sharp turns as Eckersley found out when he opted to leave United for newly-promoted Burnley just months after his senior debut. He told Manchester Evening News in 2024: "I think the decision to leave United was probably too early for me. I think I probably should have stayed on and developed at Carrington under the coaches that I was already working with, because I was making steady progress.

> "I think the jump from the cusp of one of the world's greatest teams, you could say at that time, to Burnley, who had just got promoted but were going to be a struggling team in the Premier League, was a massive jump and a massive education for me, in terms of what is men's football and what is it like to play with players that haven't had the pedigree that people at United had.

> "Nothing in football is guaranteed, but I think, in hindsight, I should have stayed on at United. I think I regretted it when I made the decision."

After playing for Burnley, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and Oldham Athletic, Eckersley retired at the age of 26. He welcomed a daughter with his wife, settled down in Devon and launched the UK's first zero-waste shop called Earth.Food.Love.

The ex-right-back also fronts plant milk producer ReRooted and has been open about his decision to prioritise his family life over the glittering fame of football. Eckersley added: "I think that is the biggest thing: seeing their mum and their dad enjoying what they do. We're all intermingling and they are never more than five minutes away from me all the time. That is important for me.

> "I am never away from them. It is about trying to be a role model for them and to show them that you can change, do something different and it can still be positive.

> "It is not going to make as much money as what a footballer would have made or can make, but it is more meaningful in my mind to do something you are passionate about, rather than just doing something because it is a popular sport."

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