Kelly: Let’s try to get to know you somewhat bit extra away from the pitch. Firstly, I all the time like asking: what had been you want as a teenager?
Nathan: For those who 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 may by no means sit nonetheless and loosen up. I all the time needed to do one thing. So that 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 vitality. I believe I used to be exhausting work for my dad and mom, I might say it like that!
Kelly: It appears like possibly it was fairly a chaotic family. What number of 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 exhausting as a result of the age distinction. All of us had coaching at completely different occasions they usually’d be working out of the home and also you’d neglect your boots or they’d be taking two vehicles in several instructions. It was a little bit of a carnage, however you would not have it another method.
Kelly: Are you continue to shut now?
Nathan: Ah yeah, in fact. I speak to them roughly on daily basis on the cellphone. Each 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 Eire?
Nathan: Yeah, they dwell in Eire, so she flies over and he or she goes in all places to be truthful.
Kelly: Residence and away?
Nathan: Yeah.
Kelly: That’s some dedication!
Nathan: I do know, I inform her, ‘pay attention, you do not have to’ and he or she’s like, ‘no, I wish to’.
Kelly: Not everybody’s obtained a son that is a Premier League footballer although… I form of get the attraction!
Nathan: Yeah, I do not assume that she watches the matches. I believe that she simply appears to be like at me the entire sport and sees what I am doing. She’ll come after, ‘Why had been you scratching your leg a lot within the match?’ … ‘I do not know. How are you aware that?’
Kelly: Aw, bless her, that is actually candy. How would your finest pal describe you?
Nathan: I might wish to assume 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 am 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 assume that they’d have a look at me as a footballer, which I actually get pleasure from. And it simply means after I’m with them, I can simply be myself and simply get pleasure from being one of many lads.
Kelly: So if the supervisor offers you a day without work, what would you do?
Nathan: It relies upon. If it is a weekday and it is good climate, I will 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 am all proper. Pay attention, I can play. I am not the best, however I am 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 is a good crew as a result of we’ve got plenty of gamers and we perform a little Ryder Cup-style.
Kelly: Oh good!
Nathan: So it is employees 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, after which we did 18 holes within the afternoon and it was actually good enjoyable. Gamers gained, so thank God!
Kelly: Oh, that was my subsequent query. Have you ever obtained any secret hobbies?
Nathan: I like cooking, in order that’s one thing. Once I cook dinner, I believe I simply neglect about all the things. I am simply in my very own little zone and my head form of goes quiet, which is good.
Kelly: Are you an excellent 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 is a bit patronising!
Nathan: Yeah, and I used to be like… ‘Does that imply I used to be unhealthy?’
Kelly: Truthful sufficient. What do folks get improper about you probably the most?
Nathan: Perhaps I get a little bit of stereotypical: ‘Ah, he is only a footballer.’ Perhaps they get that after which assume, ‘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 wish to be only a good particular person as effectively. That is essential for me, simply to be a pleasant particular person, an excellent particular person, a caring particular person. As a lot as I wish to be the very best footballer I can ever be, I additionally wish to be the very best particular person I could be and I believe that is one thing that I all the time attempt in the direction of as effectively.
Kelly: What is the hardest second of your profession been? Has there been a tricky 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 night time Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, ‘pay attention 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’.
