Kelly: Let’s attempt and get to know you somewhat bit extra away from the pitch. Firstly, I all the time like asking: what have been you want as a teenager?
Nathan: If you requested my mam or dad, they’d say I used to be a headcase! I used to be only a bit itchy, I all the time needed to transfer. I might by no means sit nonetheless and loosen up. I all the time needed to do one thing. So they needed to burn me out. I all the time needed to be within the grass or taking part in soccer, simply working round to empty my power. I believe I used to be onerous work for my dad and mom, I’d say it like that!
Kelly: It feels like possibly it was fairly a chaotic family. How many siblings have you ever obtained?
Nathan: I’ve obtained an older brother, a youthful sister and a youthful brother. I believe it was only a fixed battle of me making an attempt to beat my older brother. It was simply so onerous as a result of the age distinction. We all had coaching at totally different instances and they’d be working out of the home and you’d neglect your boots or they’d be taking two automobiles in several instructions. It was a little bit of a carnage, however you would not have it every other approach.
Kelly: Are you continue to shut now?
Nathan: Ah yeah, after all. I discuss to them roughly on daily basis on the cellphone. Every likelihood I get to go dwelling I’ll. My mam goes to each sport – dwelling and away. She watches all of them.
Kelly: So she flies over? Are they nonetheless in Ireland?
Nathan: Yeah, they dwell in Ireland, so she flies over and she goes all over the place to be truthful.
Kelly: Home and away?
Nathan: Yeah.
Kelly: That is a few dedication!
Nathan: I do know, I inform her, ‘hear, you do not have to’ and she’s like, ‘no, I need to’.
Kelly: Not everybody’s obtained a son that is a Premier League footballer although… I form of get the enchantment!
Nathan: Yeah, I do not suppose that she watches the matches. I believe that she simply seems at me the entire sport and sees what I’m doing. She’ll come after, ‘Why have been you scratching your leg a lot within the match?’ … ‘I do not know. How have you learnt that?’
Kelly: Aw, bless her, that is actually candy. How would your finest buddy describe you?
Nathan: I’d prefer to suppose that they’d describe me as the identical lad I used to be rising up. The very first thing that may pop of their head… they would not say I’m a footballer. I believe they’d simply say, ‘ah Nathan, he is only a good lad like… he is a little bit of craic and he comes out when he can’ … however I do not suppose that they’d take a look at me as a footballer, which I actually get pleasure from. And it simply means when I’m with them, I can simply be myself and simply get pleasure from being one of many lads.
Kelly: So if the supervisor provides you a time without work, what would you do?
Nathan: It relies upon. If it is a weekday and it is good climate, I’ll play golf with a couple of of the lads right here and we’ll get out within the solar.
Kelly: Are you any good?
Nathan: I’m all proper. Listen, I can play. I’m not the best, however I’m not the worst.
Kelly: Who do you play with right here?
Nathan: The group proper now’s me, Keane Lewis-Potter, Kris Ajer, Hakon Valdimarsson. It’s a superb crew as a result of we have now plenty of gamers and we do some Ryder Cup-style.
Kelly: Oh good!
Nathan: So it is workers v gamers.
Kelly: Wow!
Nathan: Yeah, as a result of there’s plenty of gamers. We did that final yr. We did 18 holes within the morning, we went for some lunch, and then we did 18 holes within the afternoon and it was actually good enjoyable. Players gained, so thank God!
Kelly: Oh, that was my subsequent query. Have you bought any secret hobbies?
Nathan: I like cooking, in order that’s one thing. When I cook dinner, I believe I simply neglect about every thing. I’m simply in my very own little zone and my head form of goes quiet, which is sweet.
Kelly: Are you a superb cook dinner?
Nathan: It relies upon who you ask…
Kelly: If I used to be asking your girlfriend…
Nathan: Yeah, she’s really saying: ‘Ah, you are getting higher at cooking!’
Kelly: That’s a bit patronising!
Nathan: Yeah, and I used to be like… ‘Does that imply I used to be unhealthy?’
Kelly: Fair sufficient. What do individuals get flawed about you essentially the most?
Nathan: Maybe I get a little bit of stereotypical: ‘Ah, he is only a footballer.’ Maybe they get that and then suppose, ‘oh, he is really fairly good to speak to… he is all proper… he is form of relaxed… he is chill’.
I all the time need to be only a good particular person as nicely. That’s necessary for me, simply to be a pleasant particular person, a superb particular person, a caring particular person. As a lot as I need to be the most effective footballer I can ever be, I additionally need to be the most effective particular person I will be and I believe that is one thing that I all the time try in direction of as nicely.
Kelly: What’s the hardest second of your profession been? Has there been a troublesome second?
Nathan: I had one sport for Brentford towards Wolves and I had two errors within the sport. I gave away two targets, we misplaced 3-1 or one thing like that and I obtained battered off the Wolves followers as a result of I’d simply left Wolves and the followers had a lot to go towards me, a lot stick. I used to be like, ‘oh my God, this could not have gotten any worse’.
To be truthful, that evening Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, ‘hear Nathan, that is in all probability the worst sport you will ever have in your profession’, and he is like, ‘so it is solely up from right here’.
