Kelly: Let’s attempt to get to know you a bit 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 chill out. I all the time needed to do one thing. In order that they needed to burn me out. I all the time wished to be within the grass or taking part in soccer, simply operating round to empty my power. I feel I used to be laborious work for my dad and mom, I would say it like that!
Kelly: It seems like possibly it was fairly a chaotic family. What number of siblings have you ever received?
Nathan: I’ve received an older brother, a youthful sister and a youthful brother. I feel it was only a fixed battle of me attempting to beat my older brother. It was simply so laborious as a result of the age distinction. All of us had coaching at completely different instances they usually’d be operating out of the home and also you’d overlook 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 every other method.
Kelly: Are you continue to shut now?
Nathan: Ah yeah, in fact. I speak to them kind of each day on the telephone. Each probability I get to go house I’ll. My mam goes to each recreation – house and away. She watches all of them.
Kelly: So she flies over? Are they nonetheless in Eire?
Nathan: Yeah, they reside in Eire, so she flies over and she or he goes in all places to be honest.
Kelly: House and away?
Nathan: Yeah.
Kelly: That’s some dedication!
Nathan: I do know, I inform her, ‘hear, you do not have to’ and she or he’s like, ‘no, I need to’.
Kelly: Not everybody’s received a son that is a Premier League footballer although… I type of get the enchantment!
Nathan: Yeah, I do not suppose that she watches the matches. I feel that she simply appears at me the entire recreation 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 buddy describe you?
Nathan: I would wish to suppose that they’d describe me as the identical lad I used to be rising up. The very first thing that will pop of their head… they would not say I am a footballer. I feel 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 once 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 time off, what would you do?
Nathan: It relies upon. If it is a weekday and it is good climate, I am going to 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. Hear, 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 could be me, Keane Lewis-Potter, Kris Ajer, Hakon Valdimarsson. It is a good crew as a result of we now have loads 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 loads of gamers. We did that final 12 months. 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 received any secret hobbies?
Nathan: I like cooking, in order that’s one thing. Once I prepare dinner, I feel I simply overlook about every little thing. I am simply in my very own little zone and my head type of goes quiet, which is good.
Kelly: Are you a great prepare 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 flawed about you essentially the most?
Nathan: Possibly I get a little bit of stereotypical: ‘Ah, he is only a footballer.’ Possibly they get that after which suppose, ‘oh, he is really fairly good to speak to… he is all proper… he is type of relaxed… he is chill’.
I all the time need to be only a good individual as nicely. That is essential for me, simply to be a pleasant individual, a great individual, a caring individual. As a lot as I need to be one of the best footballer I can ever be, I additionally need to be one of the best individual I might be and I feel that is one thing that I all the time attempt in the direction of as nicely.
Kelly: What is the hardest second of your profession been? Has there been a troublesome second?
Nathan: I had one recreation for Brentford towards Wolves and I had two errors within the recreation. I gave away two targets, we misplaced 3-1 or one thing like that and I received 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 honest, that night time Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, ‘hear Nathan, that is most likely the worst recreation you will ever have in your profession’, and he is like, ‘so it is solely up from right here’.
