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Francisco Junior arrived at Everton with a reputation but left having built a completely different one.

Yet in this searingly honest interview with the ECHO, the troubled and talented 24-year-old hopes to set the record straight about his time at Goodison.

Last month, Junior signed a permanent deal with Stromgodset in Norway, four years after joining Everton on a long-term contract and against a backdrop of excitement from expectant Blues fans.

His pedigree, having been picked up from Guinea-Bissau by Benfica as a teenager, promised much but he leaves Everton having played just 45 minutes of first-team football.

“I had been injured for four months but a week after coming back I was still injured but Moyes asked me if I was ready to play,” Junior said, of his appearance against Leeds United in September 2012’s League Cup tie at Elland Road.

“I told him I wasn’t. He asked the physio to press me to go and play so when I was in the game, I was still having pain and playing with it.

“It didn’t help me. I had a problem with my ankle.

“So, basically, I was injured in that game but trying to do my best because it was an opportunity to show myself.

“It didn’t work out that well. When I was fit, I was playing well in the second team and was waiting for my chance but it never came.

“I don’t have to blame Moyes, I don’t have to blame Martinez, I don’t have to blame anyone, I just have to blame myself.

“Because if I was professional 100%, it would’ve worked out better.”

And this is where the rumours, whispers and stories of a player going off the rails gathered pace.

Junior has refused to hide from the poor decisions he made, and why it contributed to his failure at Everton, but his life was turned upside down.

“Things happened,” he said.

“Most of them were my mistakes and my fault.

“When I came to the UK, I was in Manchester and it was one week before I lost my mum.

“Everything I was doing was for my mum, I was living for my mum. She is the only family I have, along with my sisters and brothers, and so when I lost my mum it was like I lost my world.

“Since the age of 15, when I left home, I have been alone. I didn’t have the support of anyone.

“There have been many things, but I lost my head.”

“It was the same when I moved to Portugal but the difference there was that I spoke the language,” he added.

“When I came to England, I didn’t speak any of the language, I couldn’t even say ‘good morning’, so it was harder.

“Now is different, I know many people but when I arrived, it was difficult.

“You have to decide by yourself and when you do that, I had nobody to help me.”

Apart from his doomed run-out against Leeds, Junior was either playing for the under-21s or out on loan.

He spent spells with Vitesse Arnhem, Stromgodset, he trained with Celtic, went to Port Vale before joining Wigan last summer.

Injuries interrupted his time at the DW Stadium but he was happy there. He hopes, maybe, to one day return.

“Training was the same as in Portugal, it was hard, but not that hard, my problem was off the pitch,” he said.

“When I came to Everton I was doing very, very well and waiting for my chance. It didn’t depend on me, if the manager didn’t want to give me a chance then he was never going to give me it.

“But for the manager it didn’t always matter what I was doing on the pitch, but what I was doing off it.

“But I didn’t really care what I was doing outside the club because I didn’t have the support of anyone.

“For me, they didn’t care about me and so if they didn’t care about me then I didn’t care as well.

“I was doing whatever I wanted. Before this, I didn’t drink alcohol, I didn’t go out and when I lost my head I nobody to support me.

“That is one of the things why I didn’t make it at Everton.

“They were always trying to see what I was doing wrong but never why or trying to help me.

“All the time I was thinking that nobody cared about me. But now I am fine and very, very happy.

“It is not about money. As long as I am doing everything I can to help my family then I am happy.”

“I felt much better when I was sent out on loan because I was going to play and enjoy myself,” he went on to say.

“Money doesn’t matter, you can give me all the money in the world, that is never going to make me happy. As long as I get to see my family, that will make me happy.

“As long as I am playing football and trying to help my family then I am happy. It doesn’t matter where I am playing. Of course, I have my goals and know where I want to be and I can still get there because of all I have been through in my life.

“This is the right moment, I’m not 18 anymore. I am 24 and I'm a man now.”

Junior eventually realised that things needed to change off the pitch and he sought the help of G42 Studios in Garston, who helped transform his diet and fitness.

“The training I was doing at Everton, training with the second team, was not helping me,” he said.

“So I got help with my diet. The things I was eating were not the right things to eat if you are a professional footballer, so I was taught about eating and rest.

“When I went to Wigan, I was flying.”

He added: “There were many clubs trying to get me to go on loan.

“The window is open in Norway now but when it opens again in England or Portugal, I will try and find something else.

“I am looking forward to doing my best there because it is a club that likes me and I like the club as well. I will try and do what I can in these next five or six months and then come back to England.

“I like Wigan as well, when I was there they treated me really well and in my time there they were amazing to me.

“I hope they get promoted to the Championship.”