George Tanner knew he had to step out of his comfort zone and away from Manchester United's world-class facilities to become the player he is now.
The Bristol City defender joined the Red Devils at the age of eight and pinched himself being around an environment and first-team players that left him initially starstruck. But like the thousands of young, talented players who dream of gracing Old Trafford during their time in the academy, Tanner knew his chances of making the step up were fading.
As he approached the 2019/20 campaign, at the age of 19 and with the knowledge that his contract was not going to get extended beyond the season, Tanner was at risk of being without a club and with no professional games under his belt.
Therefore he sought a loan move and broke the cycle of swapping minutes in the United Under-23 squad for League Two Morecambe under current Rochdale manager Jim Bentley. It was an invaluable switch and one that would benefit him just a year later.
He said: "I loved my time at Man United, it is one of the best academies in the world in terms of development and experiences so joining there at eight all the way up until 21, so I've gained a lot of experience and learning and I have good memories there.
"Being in that environment and when you see all the first-team players, you're a little starstruck. But as you grow older you look up to them and obviously, the dream was to get in the first-team there but it doesn't happen very often there so I sought an opportunity to go out on loan and get some games under my belt which was very important.
"I just didn't want to sit in the Under-23s. I realised I wasn't getting another contract at Man United so it was about getting out there and showing what I can do, getting some games under my belt, and getting that experience and that definitely helped me. I think it was so important."
Being released from top academies at a young age can often lead to a crossroads in a career. Some struggle to handle the uncertainty of their next move, and others run the risk of dropping out of the game altogether.
As Tanner would find out, his decision to join Morecambe proved invaluable. After making 29 appearances in all competitions, fellow league rivals Carlisle spotted his potential and snapped him up on a free transfer.
"I didn't have many options but thankfully playing 30-odd games for Morecambe I think really helped me," Tanner added. "Of course, there was a lot of uncertainty but I think I dealt with it quite well. I just had to be patient, and wait for something to come up and of course, I signed for Carlisle.
"They were one of the first offers I had and I knew I'd play. The manager (Chris Beech) wanted me so I felt I had to go for it and start getting more experience in League Two.
"I kind of knew I had to go out there and prove myself again but I didn't put too much pressure on myself. I was still in professional football. They were a good team at the time and doing well so I enjoyed my time there."
Tanner spent just one season with Carlisle and became an instrumental figure in their season playing 42 times in all competitions. His potential convinced Nigel Pearson and Bristol City to part with around £300,000 with the City manager casting an eye towards the future.
With Danny Simpson quickly falling out of favour, Tanner was thrust into Championship action having made the step up from two leagues. He played in ten of the first 12 matches before a hamstring injury picked up against Queens Park Rangers just over a year ago ruled him out for the rest of the season.
It was a cruel setback for Tanner with Pearson admitting himself he had been forced to fast-track the Blackpool-born defender into the first-team. "Last year was tough for me with two hamstring injuries which were hard to deal with at the time," he said. "When I got back fit again my fitness wasn't quite right so my first season was very up and down.
"There were a few lads that helped me along the way. A few lads had hamstring injuries last year like Andy King and Joe Williams so those two helped me out in terms of the support.
"(City coach) Alex Ball and I went through some of my clips from previous games so a lot of it was about playing forwards, opening my body position. There were a few things that we looked at that helped me improve as a player."
As a natural right full-back, Tanner has had to develop his game to fit into Pearson's system. He played on the right of a defensive three in games against Wycombe, Swansea and Rotherham before filling the role of wing-back in the last three matches.
In his last six starts, City have lost just once and there's no doubt he brings a balance to the defence which had been lacking when Weimann had been tasked to play out wide.
Tanner added: "I've had to be quite patient to get a chance in the team but it's good to be back in there and doing well.
"You don't want to be sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the opportunity and thankfully that's come now. I think I've done pretty well when I've played. The results have been fairly positive so I'm quite happy with how I've played. I'm still learning but I think I've played pretty well.
"I've had to adapt to playing in different positions. Naturally, I am a full-back so playing wing-back is a little bit different but I'm trying to learn, trying to be a bit more positive in the final third, and trying to be a bit more creative.
"It always takes time to adapt to the team but I'm happy with where I'm at. I feel like I've improved a lot since I signed here and feel like I'm only getting better as a player. There's no better place to develop as a player than here right now with the training ground and coaching staff and support I have around me."
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