Nick Powell: A weight that perhaps weighed too heavy on the shoulders of such a young talent

Nick Powell, 26, appeared to have the world at his feet when he left Crewe Alexandra in 2012, as the 18-year-old joined a Manchester United side who’d just clinched another Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Stoke City midfielder has come to terms with his ill-fated Manchester United career. He doesn’t lose sleep at night questioning where it all went wrong because he knows he would have done it differently, given the opportunity again.

On the other hand, he will never regret taking the opportunity given to him by his protagonist, Sir Alex Ferguson, when he moved up the football pyramid.

But it was all too much, too young, and events devised to the point that he abhorred the drive into United’s Carrington training ground.

Some branded him languid and inattentive, but Powell got lost in the post-Ferguson turmoil. He perceives the period between 2013 and his departure from United in 2016 to be an incongruity. The gloomiest of days.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News (MEN) in April 2020, the former Crewe Academy starlet said: “My time at United was poisoned by falling out of love with football.

“I didn’t feel like I was part of anything at the time. I was in limbo between reserves and first-team.”

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So where did it all go wrong?

By his own admittance, the 26-year-old only signed for United because of Ferguson, so the gaffer’s retirement 10 months later was a demoralising shock.

Powell was actually regaining consciousness after surgery to remove a cyst on his back, when he found out his idol was retiring from management.

Upon arrival to Old Trafford, Sir Alex told MUTV: “Powell is going to be a really good player who, we hope, will fill Paul Scholes’ boots in terms if he’s got terrific vision, good temperament, two great feet, is quick and is a great striker of the ball.”

He sure lived up to the astounding compliment. Making his debut against Wigan Athletic, in a terrific 18-minute cameo which was crowned with a 25-yard purler, giving goalkeeper, Ali al-Habsi no chance and a goal evocative of Paul Scholes.

Though, as Fergie departed, Powell bowed out.

Despite a promising start to his Manchester United career, four seasons at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ were disturbed by injury and saw loans to Wigan, Leicester and Hull – with the first of which the only success.

A promising loan with Wigan in 2013-14 uplifted the youngster, as he hoped to be in contention for a place in the first team squad upon his return. Though, United had become a very different place as David Moyes had come and gone and the appointment of Louis Van Gaal left Powell feeling like an outcast.

“It was always going to be different when Sir Alex retired. If he wasn’t there and I didn’t have a phone call and meetings with him, I probably wouldn’t have gone to United. So, it was always going to be a downhill spiral for me as soon as he left.” he told Manchester Evening News.

Powell didn’t help his cause, when he pleaded guilty to drink driving in May 2014. The midfielder was fined £5000 as well as a 14-month driving ban.

Years of inanity and the United experience had blemished Powell, who was released by the Red Devils in 2016.

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After impressing on-loan at the Latics he re-joined them on a three-year contract in the summer of 2016, but it was here that he exchanged his teenage mindset for an adult.

His first season as a permanent player ended in relegation to league one, which didn’t seem to affect him as much as his team-mates – which sent alarm bells ringing. He said: “To get relegated and not feel anything… that’s quite worrying.”

Though, it was the birth of his baby daughter in May 2017 which made him realise he needed to prevent his career from slipping through his fingers.

“I said to my missus ‘I’m going to have to start changing my whole view on life’ because I was either going to stop caring and keep going down.” Powell told Manchester Evening News.

Becoming a family man and moving back to his routes has given Powell some much needed solidity, so much so he was able to kickstart his career. Winning promotion back to the Championship in 2018 and retaining Championship status the following season.

Likewise, the summer of 2020 saw the Englishman swap the blue and white stripes of Wigan for the red and white of Stoke City.

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Making the switch to the Potters has helped him to take another huge step towards becoming the player he was once tipped to be.

Former city boss, Nathan Jones, brought Powell to The Bet365 Stadium in the hope to revitalize his career and he sure pushed him to some new boundaries.

Powell told Manchester Evening News: “I’ve never trained in the off-season and it wasn’t until I went to Stoke and had a conversation with (ex- manager) Nathan Jones, who started monitoring me.

“That was the only time I’d ever done anything in the off-season, because I was getting monitored! It took me until 25 to start doing anything.”

So far in his Potters career he has been directly involved in 23 goal contributions in 58 league outings. Statistics certainly suggesting that the former Sandbach School student is returning back to his best.

Current Stoke boss, Michael O’Neill couldn’t praise Powell enough for his work-rate and ability off the ball “I always knew that was something he had. He’s a really good outlet for us in terms of winning balls in the air and linking with people as well.” He told Stoke Sentinel.

He added: “We’re getting so much out of Nick. We’ve played him in a variety of positions, and he gives everything.

“He’s been a very important player for us this season.”

At last things seem to be looking up for the talisman.