He’s been through highs and lows, depression and heartbreak, but 25-year-old former Manchester United youth player Charlie Scott has found happiness just about as far from Old Trafford as you can get – in Hong Kong.Charlie has been a Manchester United talent from the age of nine, all the way until 2018 – when he was told he wasn’t needed at United anymore. He had to leave his friends — including favourite teammate Marcus Rashford — and seek a new club, as he told Manchester Evening News.Being 20 years old and released from one of the biggest club in the world was gut-wrenching for the young midfielder. While searching for a new team, he attended trials with nearly 20 clubs across England – and everywhere, they said no to him. He stopped watching football on TV, lost a sense of direction in his life and started to sink into depression. He joined his father and his uncle on the construction site, as he spent two years out of the game entirely.Our player and former Manchester United youngster – Charlie Scott has put pen to paper on a contract with Happy Valley AA We are so happy to help Charlie back on his way into the professional game and hope he enjoys the experience of playing in Hong Kong#manchesterunited pic.twitter.com/s6eO40DHEr— 433 academy (@433_management) July 21, 2020 He was completely out of football for two years, but love of his caring father and the rest of the family kept his nose above the water. The key decision came midway through 2019 when Charley signed for Newcastle Town, a team competing in the Northern Premier League Div 1 team, the seventh level in the English football pyramid. Although the club was far away from the bright lights of the professional game, it served as a reminder about how much Scott loved football.##NAJAVA_MECA_7284247##After six months, he received an unlikely call from his agent, offering him the opportunity to play for Happy Valley AA, one of the lesser teams in the Asian country’s top division. And he said yes.”I didn’t know anything. I’d never been to Asia before or known anything about football in Hong Kong. I didn’t know what to expect. It was like jumping into a dark hole. I thought it might be a good opportunity, not just for football, but to start a new life, make good memories, and experience new cultures in new environments. I was looking at the football side, obviously, but then at the same time, the life experience as well.”Charlie did well for Happy Valley and earned a call from the best team in the land, Kitchee FC. Living in Hong Kong, he also met his wife and realised happiness was there all along – just waiting for him. Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram Објава коју дели Charlie Scott (@_charliescottt) He may not be playing for Manchester United, but he is playing for a professional club competing in the Asian Champions League. And he’s found love, peace and a life where the weather is nicer than that in Manchester. And he no longer gets up at five in the morning to go to a construction site, which makes his life a lot easier.”At the moment I’m quite happy in Asia. Obviously, my family and friends are back in England. Right now, I feel like I’ve found a new Charlie. Coming to Asia, I feel like I’ve found myself again. I’m just enjoying life out here. I’ve grown to like it. I’ve started to learn the language and the culture, adapt to the weather environment. I feel like now is the perfect time for me.”
