Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has received praise on Twitter by Villa Park cult hero Stan Collymore following his Sky Sports News interview in which he speaks about his rise from non-league to the England squad.
Seven years ago, the 6ft 5in ace was playing for Chippenham Town while working as a mortgage adviser, having been released by Southampton as a youngster for being too small, while his time in league football was also not without its hurdles.
While at Bournemouth, Mings suffered torn anterior and medial ligaments in his knee during a game against Leicester City and was ruled out for over a year (BBC Sport), and his future at Dean Court appeared all but over before going on to join Aston Villa on loan in the second half of last season.
The rest is history – the 26-year-old was a key member of the squad which surged up the Championship table, finished in the top six, won the playoffs and is now in the Premier League, the defender subsequently joining the Villans permanently in the summer and starting all four top-flight games for Dean Smith’s side so far.
“When I was playing football part-time and working as a mortgage adviser I had different goals, playing for England seemed like a different world away,” Mings told Sky Sports News. “I just needed to get back into the professional game at that point.
“I can’t say that while I was sat at my desk cold calling or trying to advise people on their mortgages that playing for England was an achievable goal. But I’ve been able to work with some great coaches and having been able to play for some great clubs, everything has culminated to get me to this point. At different times I have had to reassess my goals, with injuries and so forth, but that makes being sat here even sweeter.”
Collymore expressed his delight and pride with Mings on social media, posting the following message:
A number of Collymore’s followers also praised Mings for his down-to-earth interview:
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