Whatever happened to John Bostock? The midfielder was regarded as one of England’s best prospects when he emerged as a teenager with Crystal Palace. A little more than seven years later, he is at his ninth club and playing in the Belgian second division.

His debut for the Eagles, aged just 15 years and 287 days, in October 2007, made him the youngest-ever player for the club who had scouted him at the age of six at Pelo FC in south London. Interest swiftly followed from several top clubs and Bostock decided to move to Tottenham Hotspur. That was in the summer of 2008, for a fee of £700,000, decided by a tribunal. He only made three appearances for Spurs, all in the Uefa Cup in 2008-09, and he became their youngest-ever player on his debut in November 2008, but after loan spells at various clubs, Bostock was released in June 2013.

Then came an unexpected opportunity to go to Belgium and play for Royal Antwerp, runners-up in the Cup-Winners’ Cup, in 1993. Their manager was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the former Chelsea and Holland striker, and it was a chance he jumped at. “My contract with Spurs had come to an end, and I had offers to play in England and Europe but Jimmy said what I kind of needed to hear. He said to go out to Belgium with him, play football every week and I’ll be able to regain my confidence.

“My best friend, Paul-Jose M’Poku, came to Spurs at the same time under Damien Comolli, but it didn’t work out for him, and he went back to Standard Liège where Spurs found him. He blossomed on his return and found the right platform, which was also significant in my decision process.”

The transfer to the second division in Belgium helped him escape from the media glare in England and gave him a chance to get back to regular first-team football. Bostock, 23 on 15 January, reflects on his unhappy five years at Tottenham. “It was a very difficult time for me and my family,” he says. “I was a season-ticket holder for most of my life [at Palace], but I made the decision to further my career at Spurs and at the time it was about developing me as a player.

“It was a big challenge for me at a young age and, at times, you find that you’re putting yourself under a lot of pressure as you want to stand out at a club that has so much quality already, with players such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale.”

It is easy to forget that Bostock is still young. Moving to Belgium has been key to him finding his feet once more, helping him to reconstruct his career.

“Going away from the UK has allowed me to concentrate on just solely playing football,” Bostock, a former England Under-17 captain, said. “People in Belgium had heard of me, but they didn’t really know what I was about, so it gave me a chance to be judged purely on my football abilities. My confidence has really grown, I’m enjoying the game once more and I’m playing every week, so it can only be positive.”

His various loans took him around the hustle and bustle of the lower leagues of English football – Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town – as well as a stint with Toronto FC, and Bostock is now at his ninth club. He left Antwerp at the end of last season but opted to stay in Belgium and the second division, and he joined Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

“There were offers from various clubs in the UK, however I felt at the time I hadn’t finished what I went to Belgium to do,” Bostock added. “Antwerp is a great club with amazing fans, but it was time for me to move on and Leuven had just come down from the Belgium Premier League.

“Every week you are playing against young players who are all hungry to achieve just like I am, so you can see why Belgium do produce a lot of talented players. In the second division, some of the player’s technical abilities are top drawer and there then is a lot of interest in them from the first division and Europe’s top clubs.”

So what does the future hold for Bostock, and could it see him make a return to his boyhood club?

“I’m just taking every game as it comes, I’m really enjoying my time out here with Leuven. I’m adding different parts to my game, improving on a daily basis but I guess the most important thing for me is to keep pushing forward towards fulfilling my potential,” he says.

“I love Palace – I’ve got nothing but kind words to say about everyone from the youth coaches to the people that work behind the scenes. Football is an unpredictable game, but I’m just focusing on playing in Belgium and just continuing to progress.”

Despite his tender age, after all he has gone through he can certainly give young professionals advice on how to manage the early stages of their career.

“Work hard – it’s an honour to get called into any club because they see something in you that they would like to add to their team. I’m still only 22, and I used to think when you have a bad game, that’s it, but it really isn’t; just remain patient even if you aren’t playing and remember that you will get your chance.”