West Ham United star Aaron Cresswell has opened up to Jamie Redknapp for the Daily Mail on the heartbreak of Liverpool releasing him from their academy set up as a teenager.
Cresswell spent three-years in the Reds’ development programme between 2003 and 2005 as he began to cut his teeth.
But the Liverpool native failed to show enough progress over those years to convince club chiefs of his potential.
Tranmere Rovers then picked Cresswell up from the ashes of his Liverpool career, where he went on to make his senior debut in a League One clash with MK Dons in 2008, aged 18.
The full-back made 80 first-team appearances for the Super White Army before moving to Ipswich Town in 2011. A place he would call home for three-years until West Ham called.
West Ham paid Ipswich £2m for Cresswell, and he has proven to be their first-choice left-back every season since. Making 267 outings across all competitions, offering 31 assists.
But despite his successes at West Ham, Cresswell can still recall the heartbreak of Liverpool releasing him 16-years ago.
“I joined Liverpool at 12, then was released at 15. I was devastated,” Cresswell said. “My dad had to tell me, ‘you’re not going back’. It was a case of going to Sunday League, playing with my mates and just enjoying it.
“To get that knock-back, it was heartbreaking at the time. But it set me up. There aren’t many footballers out there who haven’t had a setback. Once you learn to deal with that disappointment, and overcome it, it makes you strong as a person and a player.”
Should Liverpool regret releasing West Ham star Cresswell in his youth?
Liverpool are unlikely to regret releasing Cresswell during his youth, despite what the 31-year-old has since achieved with West Ham.
The three-cap England international took six-years from leaving the Reds academy to reach the Premier League. He also did not graduate into the Championship until joining Ipswich.
West Ham will also be glad for the journey Cresswell took from leaving Liverpool to joining them. With the defender accepting his path and the heartbreak helped form who he is.
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