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As an England schoolboy international and Manchester United prodigy, Gareth Strange had the world at his feet.

He joined United as a nine-year-old and spent his next 11 years at the club working his way up to United’s second string.

A teenage starlet, from Bolton – where he still lives – he signed a scholarship and then a two-year professional deal at Old Trafford and was used to sharing an international dressing room with players such as Joe Cole and Leon Osman.

He faced AC Milan’s Philippe Mexes and former Liverpool frontman Djibril Cisse.

But these days tackling opponents is a completely different proposition for the former centre-back who left Old Trafford in 2001.

After drifting into non-league, Strange struggled to overcome a torn meniscus and was forced to quit football altogether in his mid-twenties before setting his sights on becoming a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

“I started training for this a couple of years back and moved into competing last year,” Strange told M.E.N. Sport after completing a gruelling three-hour training routine at Gouldings JFT Freestyle Karate & Kickboxing Club in Farnworth.

“My coach Jamie (Goulding) put me in for a semi-pro fight, I won that and then finished second in a kickboxing tournament. I lost in the final and took the silver medal but got an offer to go on the England team.

“In my last fight I lost on points against a more experienced fighter. He was a big lad at almost 6ft 5 and I’m only just over 5ft 9 so, obviously, he had that advantage but it was a good experience for me.

“I had missed the feeling of competing since I’d stopped playing football.”

So how does someone who played in front of tens of thousands as a teenage footballer feel on the walk towards the cage and a physical confrontation?

“It’s an excited, nervous and scared feeling,” said the 33-year-old. “It’s similar to football. As soon as you’re in there and get hit it’s fine.

“It’s like playing football – you get nervous but as soon as you take your first touch you’re into the game.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s like sparring except the blows are harder.”

Now training at least four times a week under the guidance of Goulding, Strange, is eager to make a big impression when he appears at the Shinobi War MMA fighting championships next month.

“Jamie’s helping me work on the negatives from my last fight so they can be a positive,” he said.

“This is the fittest I’ve ever been – including during my time as a footballer.

“He’s a top coach with an excellent reputation on both sides of the Atlantic.

“He did a lot of the fight scenes in the new Peter Pan movie and trained Hugh Jackman. We all look up to him in the gym. Kids come in with attitudes and he sorts them out and teaches them respect. He’s a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson in that way.”

So what of his time at Old Trafford?

“Sir Alex had the dignity to tell me I wasn’t what they were looking for,” he said.

“They pushed me forward into midfield and I wasn’t a midfielder.

“Height probably did have a factor in it because I wasn’t tall enough but I wouldn’t blame being released all on that.

“If you looked at the first-team and below there were some top players. Wes Brown, Jaap Stam, John O’Shea, Ronny Johnsen, John Curtis, Ronnie Wallwork.

“The first-team players were all really good with the young players. Roy Keane was top drawer. He wasn’t as people would imagine him to be. If you were on his team in training he wouldn’t shout and scream at you, he’d encourage and help you.

“I went to Kidderminster, Oldham Athletic and Bolton Wanderers on trial and had offers from two American clubs.

“Kidderminster offered me a deal but the money wouldn’t have been enough to live on, so I took up an apprenticeship in joinery as a back-up and played semi-pro football until I had to quit.”

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