_Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre._
_Marley Frohock spoke to us recently about settling in as a first-year scholar, who he looks up to in training and what he hopes to achieve on the pitch._
I grew up in Laindon, in Essex, and I started football incredibly young - around two years old - at a Little Kickers. When I was five or six, I joined Billericay Town, and I stayed there until I was about 13 or 14.
In terms of my family background, my mum is Nigerian and my Dad is English, with a bit of Dutch heritage too. I got into football through my Dad. He encouraged me to start kicking a ball, and he'd played semi-professional level himself.
I actually played centre back until I was about 12, then I tried playing up front in a game, did well and realised I love scoring goals.
My standout moment at Billericay was definitely the game where I got scouted by Arsenal. It was the Essex Cup Final, we won, and it was a massive moment for me. After the match, my manager told me a scout was interested.
When I went for the trial, it was my first ever one, so I really went just for the experience as I didn't expect to get signed, I was just happy they were even looking at me. The trial was supposed to be eight weeks but I got signed after four.
During one of my trial training sessions, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka were doing their coaching badges. My coach pulled me into a meeting and Xhaka walked in and said, "Oh, is this the kid you're going to sign?"
So technically, Xhaka told me I was getting signed before anyone else did, which is surreal looking back now.
> They're all top players, but the ones who always impress me are Declan Rice - he's unbelievable - and Gabriel and William Saliba, especially because I come up against them as a striker.
Since getting my scholarship, moving over to Sobha has been brilliant. I've also moved into digs with a great host family, and I room with Marli Salmon. We've become close, and his story inspires me; he's already trained with the first team and been on tour, so seeing his progress pushes me.
While at Sobha, I've had the chance to train with the first team several times. They're all top players, but the ones who always impress me are Declan Rice - he's unbelievable - and Gabriel and William Saliba, especially because I come up against them as a striker.
My goals for the rest of the season are to establish myself as a regular starter for the under-18s and play as many games as possible.
I'm also hoping to make an appearance in the UEFA Youth League. I've travelled with the squad but haven't had my debut yet, so that's something I'm really aiming for.
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