Marseille striker Neal Maupay has credited Brentford with giving him the enjoyment back from playing football, after falling out of love with the game at an early age.
[L’Equipe cover comments](https://www.lequipe.fr/) from the striker today in which he looks back on his career to date and says moving to Brentford was like being a kid on a school trip.
Maupay joined Brentford in a €2m deal back in July 2017 after coming through the ranks in France, first at Nice and then Saint Etienne.
He spent two years with the Bees before joining Brighton in the Premier League before eventually moving to Everton but returned for a loan spell with his old club last season.
Both spells proved to be good for him as he managed 49 goals and 17 assists in 126 games for the club in total.
His first period at the club proved to be a time of real growth for the striker as it was his first move to a foreign country, where he didn’t speak the language, something that really put him out of his comfort zone.
He looks back at it fondly, though, admitting that starting from scratch allowed him to discover a love of football which had been lost back in France.
“After a few months, I discovered a new culture, a new way of playing football,” he said.
“Everything was different, I was starting from scratch because I didn’t speak English, I didn’t know any players, I didn’t know the coaches, not the teams. I had a lot to learn, and I felt good about having to take this step, a bit like a child on a school trip to another country.
“I discovered everything: different training sessions, less strict schedules, fewer training camps because they are more open about that in England.
“I found this fun again quite quickly and I immediately scored goals in a small family club where you feel good.”