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Josh Harrop looked set to become a superstar - so why is he playing six-a-side at the age of 29?
On the final day of the 2016/17 season, José Mourinho gave one of his academy players a chance in the first team against Crystal Palace. He scored, becoming the hundredth Manchester United player to do so in the Premier League in the process, won the man of the match award, and then never played for the Red Devils again.
Now, nearly eight years later, Josh Harrop will be back in the limelight again, but not in the way that he might have expected when his career began. Harrop has been drafted into the inaugural UK edition of the Baller League, where he will play gimmick-laden six-a-side matches under the watchful eye of his fashion designer manager – and in front of what is likely to be millions of viewers.
What happened to Josh Harrop?
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Josh Harrop revealed that the bottle of champagne he was presented with for winning that man of the match award eight years ago still sits, unopened, in his house, a reminder of the dream that he lived – one that quickly turned into a nightmare.
Harrop turned down a three-year contract at Old Trafford in favour of a chance of first-team football at Preston North End, but the injuries quickly stacked up. Anterior cruciate ligament damage was followed by a persistent Achilles tendon issue that proved tricky to diagnose and which left him unable to walk after training sessions.
“I’d seen every specialist you could possibly see,” Harrop told The Guardian. “Scan after scan, injection after injection. Nothing was making it better… I was on holiday with my girlfriend and could not walk from the hotel to the restaurant, so had to get a mini-scooter.”
In the end, the Stockport-born attacking midfielder’s career in Lancashire petered out after a promising start. Loan spells in League One failed to revivify his form while his fitness continued to suffer, and then within weeks of signing for Northampton Town in the fourth tier he suffered damaged knee cartilage.
Still only 29 years old, Harrop played for Cheltenham Town last season, failing to score in his 13 games, and is now out of contract. He’s kept himself as fit as he can, training with Altrincham in between brief try-outs with the likes of Morecambe and Mansfield Town, but nothing stuck – until the Baller League came along
How the Baller League gave Harrop a second chance
On Monday, Harrop was drafted into FC Rules the World, a twelve-man team coached by fashion designer and influencer Clint 419. Starting from the end of the month, he’ll take part in a quick-fire six-a-side tournament featuring teams run by everyone from Gary Lineker and Luis Figo to TV presenter Maya Jama.
The Baller League was an online sensation in Germany and now, with the involvement of hyper-popular content creator and influencer KSI, it’s coming to Britain, with huge audiences expected to tune in.
The pay isn’t huge – just £400 per game for the players – but it will be a chance to show a great many people that his technical quality remains intact, even if the tournament (which includes extra rules, like two balls on the pitch, at the end of games) isn’t exactly football at its most traditional.
“As I’m a free agent, this gives me something to focus on – it’s also football and that’s what I love doing”, he said. “The concept’s quite different to what I’ve ever done. I’m going to go, have some fun and enjoy my football. I’m still gonna be competitive, because I’m a competitive person. Hopefully I get a good team and we can win.”
His head coach will be a little different to Mourinho, too. Clint 419 is a massively successful fashion designer and Instagram personality whose clothing label, Corteiz Rules the World, has been a huge hit, partly thanks to its guerrilla marketing campaigns.
Whether he’s as good at managing a football team as he is at making clothes and accruing social media followers remains to be seen, but having Harrop on his side can’t hurt – and his team-mates will include Michael Ndiweni, who was with Newcastle United’s youth academy until 2023, and former Charlton Athletic and Bristol Rovers defender Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, who like Harrop had his career cut short by serious injuries.
Perhaps playing in the Baller League will help to relaunch Harrop’s career, or those of some of his fellow players – or perhaps it will just prove to be a fun diversion which earns them a few quid along the way. Either way, it should be a little more star-studded than a trial at Mansfield.
Related topics:Baller LeaguePremier League
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