The England manager didn't think I was good enough, and as a professional, you have to take it. Sure, it was disappointing, but all you can do is carry on playing well for your club and hope it changes. Unfortunately, it didn't.

David Silva at Man City was my favourite player to play with; we had a good understanding on the pitch.

I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing.

When I started my career, we were running around water parks and ridiculous things like that. You used to drive in dreading pre-season back then, but now you know it's going to be pretty tough, but it's going to be probably what you need. It's going to be good for you instead of just slogging away.

For my whole career, I didn't have sparring partners. I was frustrated when I came to the UFC because, after a few minutes of the first round, I would feel dead because I had no sparring partners.

At the end of your career, what you will keep in your head is the memory of winning trophies - Premier League, Champions League. Those are the only things you remember.

We look for the scrappy entrepreneur: the kind of person who will get things done without looking to spend money right away.

In our community, we are encouraged to take up professions like medicine or engineering that offer consistency and job security. Acting is not a 'real' profession.