As Will Ferry and Nathan Tella carried out their rehabilitations together side by side, neither man could have predicted how their paths would diverge.
Both highly rated youngsters on the books of Southampton’s renowned talent factory, Tella recovered from a devastating knee injury to catch Ralph Hasenhuttl’s eye following one training session with the senior side.
He swiftly made his first team debut before a goal-laden stint on loan with Burnley in 2022/23, firing Vincent Kompany’s side to the title.
That earned Tello a £20 million move to Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored seven goals to help Xabi Alonso’s free-flowing, thrilling outfit win the Bundesliga and reach the final of the Europa League.
Ferry, meanwhile, was not afforded that breakthrough moment and found himself in the exact situation he always wanted to avoid; in the hinterland between youth and senior football and facing a slide down the leagues.
As Tello was toasting becoming a domestic invincible with Leverkusen, Ferry was relegated from League One with Cheltenham Town.
Differing fortunes
“When I first went to Southampton, my biggest fear was getting stuck in that U/21’s limbo,” said Ferry. “And that’s what happened. I was around the first team but was never considered a first team player.
There is an element of right place, right time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t.”
“You would see other boys getting chances. The best one is Nathan Tella, who is playing in the Bundesliga and won the league last year with Leverkusen.
“We were injured at the same time at Southampton. Nathan had a really bad knee injury. He came back after his ACL and after one session the gaffer said, “right, I am having you”.
“He went on loan to Burnley in the Championship, scored something like 25 goals, and then got a move to Leverkusen. When Nathan was at Leverkusen, I was at Cheltenham and in the middle of a relegation scrap!
“It can be hard because you think of yourself back then, as part of the same team, with the same aims.
“As frustrating as it is, you know that boys like him deserve it. You might look at them and think, “I wish that was me”. But I’m not bitter. You need to deserve it and earn it – although there is an element of right place, right time.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t.”
Taking a step backwards to go forwards
However, Ferry didn’t shirk hard graft.
He took the plunge and descended the divisions, joining Cheltenham in England’s third tier.
While The Robins were perennial strugglers during his time there, Ferry was a consistent stand-out. When he made the decision to leave the club in the aftermath of relegation last summer, he had plenty of suitors.
But the decision to join Dundee United has proved an inspired one. Ferry is playing every week, is arguably the Tangerines’ player of the year to date and – while no Arab wants to wish him away – already looks destined for bigger things.
An Ireland debut seems a matter of time, too.
“Cheltenham was a good club, and I enjoyed being there – but I wouldn’t even say it is a football town,” recalled Ferry. “Rugby and racing are big there. We were a very small club in a big pond. You wouldn’t feel respected.
“I lost my love for it a little bit, losing every week.
“At United, we have been getting good results and, when that is the case, everything seems to go well. It’s a big club, involved in big moments.”
Waiving his anonymity
Expanding on the move from a town famous for horse racing to a football-daft city where your fiercest rivals are a stone’s throw away, he smiled: “Even just getting asked for pictures is weird because I have never had that.
“You get the occasional look when you are in a shop; you see someone double-take. That took a while to get used to!
“You also need to be a bit careful if you want to go and have a drink with family after a game. It might not have been a good result or, if it was a good result, then a lot of fans might be out.
“You have got to think more about what you do because people will take notice and – rightly or wrongly – you are going to get judged.
“At Cheltenham no-one knew who I was!”
Derby day looms
With that recognition, comes a cognisance of just what it means to the people of the city when United face the Dee on Scottish Cup duty at Dens Park on Monday evening.
“Our rivalry at Cheltenham was with Forest Green but I wouldn’t really call it a derby,” added Ferry. “The game itself was a good atmosphere compared to the other matches, but compared to the Dundee derby? No.
“Here everything feels more heightened, in terms of atmosphere and importance.”
While the Scottish Cup is all that matters on Monday, United’s lofty berth in the Premiership – and the possibilities that brings – looms large.
Currently occupying third place, the Tangerines are well on course to seal a spot in the top six; at which point, attention will turn to pushing for potential European qualification. It would be a remarkable feat for a newly promoted side.
And it is one that Ferry cannot help but dream of.
He added: “We don’t want to get ahead ourselves – but I remember watching St Mirren early in the season and saying, “they have a couple of boys I recognise, and they are playing in Europe – that is wild!”
“I was like, that could be good…”
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