REMEMBER when City produced one of the best young talents in the country?

It is almost a decade since teenage sensation George Green was headhunted by Premier League giants Everton for a reported fee of £2 million. A future in the top flight beckoned for the 15-year-old.

However, a battle with drugs, alcohol and suicidal thoughts would cause Green’s career to spiral out of control. Although the now 24-year-old has had to get himself a nine to five job as an apprentice electrician, he is at his most content.

The mind can only imagine what the pressure is like moving for so much money at such a young age.

At the time, the Toffees thought they had bagged themselves a bargain, fighting off the likes of Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur for the youngster’s signature.

Green has always been grateful for the time he spent at the Bantams, from the age of seven, as he recalls how he decided a move to Goodison Park would be best.

“I only ever have good memories of my time at Bradford City,” he said. “It is a club I will always hold close to my heart, the way they treated me and the opportunities they gave me.

“It was a derby game between Liverpool and Everton, and he (David Moyes) invited me into his office. He said he really liked me and wanted to get me on board. It was a no brainer because I didn’t fancy travelling back down to Tottenham.

“At that age, I just took it in my stride and it (the price tag) didn’t really affect me. I just loved football. No matter where that was I was always going to try my best.”

The creative midfielder started well on the pitch, being part of the Under-18 Premier League winning side of 2014.

He built his way up through the England ranks too, scoring winners against Germany and Spain, playing alongside the likes of now Premier League stars Dele Alli and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

You might think Green feels bitter about the opposing direction the pair’s careers went compared to his own, but he doesn’t.

“Fair play to them, they worked harder than me,” he admitted.

“For them to be in the position that they are in now is because they had the better attitude.

“They deserve everything they’ve got. I didn’t because I wasn’t willing to make football my life at that time. When I watch them, there is a bit of animosity but it is not nasty, it’s feeling I should be there and I’m not.”

After turning 18 and with his earnings eclipsing the £100,000-a-year mark, he developed a party lifestyle of drunken binges, disasters and a visit to the Priory, before being released by Everton, four years after signing.

Six months later, he found himself at non-league minnows Ossett Albion after cancelling his two-year deal at Oldham Athletic.

Green’s troubles would continue, with suicide and overdose attempts, as he tried to climb back up the footballing ladder with the likes of Burnley, Kilmarnock and Salford City.

The Dewsbury-born player did find peace two years ago though, when he decided to speak out about his problems.

“I don’t look back at that time with anger,” he said. “I am over that chapter in my life now.

“I still struggle and have bad days. But, instead of reacting negatively, I react positively. You can see it in me physically, I am probably in the best shape that I have been in for years.

“You grow up and mature. You see your life in a different light, not being a selfish teenager. I had two children and that made me grow up massively.

"It was a slow progression and I had to make those mistakes to become the person I am today.”

After recently signing for Ossett United on a non-contract deal, Green’s dream to return to the stage he once starred on is still alive.

The former prodigy also hopes one day he can help young footballers who are struggling in the position he was in.

He said: “There are things that are put in place but until clubs stop giving people loads of money, I don’t see it changing.

“I think I would really enjoy that if the opportunity presented itself. My Twitter is always open for anyone who would like a chat. I will always try and help.

“I would like to have that chance (to sign for a professional club). I am working hard on and off the pitch so it would be top of my agenda if it came.”