THE captain of Manchester United’s famous 2011 youth team, Tom Thorpe, has opened up about his struggles after returning to football.

Centre-back Thorpe, 30, led the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Michael Keane and Ravel Morrison to several trophies including the reserve league, U18s title and FA Youth Cup.

3Tom Thorpe has returned to football to play for MacclesfieldCredit: Twitter / @thesilkmen3Thorpe, left, captained Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in Man Utd’s youth teamCredit: Getty

But after just one substitute appearance for the first team in 2014, he left United the following year amid injury problems.

Spells with Rotherham, Bradford and Bolton followed, before he jetted off to India to play for ATK.

Thorpe then hung up his boots in 2018.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “Looking back, it was a case of me wanting to just get away from it all [moving to India].

“My enjoyment in football had just gone completely and India was an excuse to escape that.”

Thorpe also opened up about the mental health struggles he endured as a result of his injury issues.

He added: “That was major catalyst for me going under and into a really dark place.

“It wasn’t a pleasant experience and it’s something that had a huge impact not only on my life but on my parents as well. I don’t know what I would have done or where I would be if it wasn’t for them.

“Even living in the same house, there were days when I wouldn’t want to speak a word to them. I just felt empty.”

Now Thorpe is back in football having signed for Macclesfield in February – where he has played four times.

But he insists it was not always his plan to return to the game.

He said: “Initially it was a case of ‘I don’t want to play again’. I was done and I was more than happy to just walk away. There was never a time period of seeing how I feel to get better. There was no aim of getting back into football.

“But there was the stress of: ‘If I’m not going to play football, what else am I going to do?’ That in itself was enough to fill me with anxiety. I was fortunate that somebody from Macclesfield contacted me and things went from there joining them.

“I’ll play football as long as I enjoy it. If that stops, then it’s not something that I want to continue doing. I’m not putting any pressure on myself as to where I aspire to go to.

“It was my enjoyment at Macclesfield FC that made me want to start playing again. I’m relaxed and I’m happy there.

“When I previously played, I cared too much about what the wrong people thought. I’ve come to realise your mental health is much more important than anything else.”

3Man Utd’s youth team in 2011. Back Row L-R: Ravel Morrison, Tyler Blackett, Michael Keane, Sam Johnstone, Gyliano van Velzen, Tom Thorpe, Paul Pogba. Front Row L-R: Ryan Tunnicliffe, Michele Fornasier, Larnell Cole, Jesse Lingard