Matthew Briggs, once the Premier League's youngest player, is now playing in the seventh tier while doubling up as a personal trainer.
The left-back was just 16 years and 68 days old when he made his Premier League bow at the end of the 2006-07 season, coming off the bench for Fulham in a defeat at Middlesbrough. His record as the youngest ever player in the competition stood for almost 12 years, with Harvey Elliott - then at Fulham himself - making his top flight debut 30 days after his own 16th birthday having earlier broken a League Cup record.
There is now a new holder of the 'youngest ever' record, with 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri featuring for Arsenal in their 3-0 win at Brentford before the international break. However, Briggs' post-Fulham path may serve as a warning sign for the latest generation of teenage stars.
“Fulham said that if I did come on, I’d be the youngest-ever player in the Premier League," Briggs, who had been weighing up interest from Arsenal, told The Sun. “At that time, at that age, no one is going to turn down that opportunity. One to break a record and then to play in the biggest league in the world."
However, he returned to the academy squad for the start of the following season, with fellow left-back Paul Konchesky among more than a dozen players brought to Craven Cottage over the summer. What's more, Lawrie Sanchez - the manager who handed Briggs his debut - was sacked midway through the campaign with Roy Hodgson replacing him and preferring his more experienced options.
“There was pressure from outside of the club with friends who had a massive expectation, asking when I’d next be in," Briggs recalled. “I felt almost embarrassed to even answer it because I didn’t know why. I was just very confused and I lost my confidence.”
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Eventually, Briggs made his second top-flight appearance and his first start, more than three years after the first. A few more games for Fulham followed - 13 in total in the league, and 30 in all competitions - but he left in 2014 after relegation from the top flight prompted a mass exodus.
In the years since, he has dropped down the leagues, while also spending time in Denmark. He also gave up on any dreams of playing senior football for England despite winning caps all the way up to Under-21 level, choosing instead to turn out for Guyana.
He now plays his club football for Gosport Borough in the Southern League, while continuing to play international football. He has a sideline as a fitness trainer, under his 'MBition Fitness' brand, and his thoughts on his time at Fulham remain mixed.
“They should have managed me totally differently. I don’t think they thought about what it was doing to me," Briggs added. “I would never take it back, having the record for 12 years. But there’s a part of me that wishes I did progress slower.”
While Briggs stayed at Fulham after his debut, other youngsters moved on with mixed results. Elliott and Fabio Carvalho are now both at Liverpool after impressing as teenagers, and have both continued their Premier League development at Anfield, but Patrick Roberts - a debutant at 17 - has been forced to rebuild in the second tier after a move to Manchester City brought few opportunities.
Elliott is the only one of the 10 youngest Premier League players to still be active in the top-flight, though Aaron Lennon - who first played for Leeds aged 16 - made more than 400 appearances in the competition. Others in the list are either playing top-flight football overseas (Angel Gomes and Reece Oxford), EFL football (Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Jack Robinson), or retired or without a club.
Nwaneri, meanwhile, may have to bide his time in Arsenal's age-group teams rather than enjoying regular senior football at 15. Still, first-team manager Mikel Arteta has liked what he's seen so far.
"He trained with us a couple of times. I had that feeling yesterday that if the opportunity could come, I would do it," the Spaniard said. "He deserves it. He has been doing great. He is such a big talent we want to keep with us."
