I could have been the next Owen Farrell for England… now I’m planning to play in Premier League after switching sports

RYAN TREVITT could easily have wound up playing rugby this weekend rather than battling in Exeter’s midfield against Lincoln.

But the on-loan Brentford star, 20, ditched chucking the oval balls around when he was 16 — and has not regretted it for a moment.

PinnacleRyan Trevitt quit rugby to pursue a career in football at the age of 16[/caption]

And although he has been watching the Rugby World Cup this autumn as a fan, he is enjoying developing in League One with the Grecians in his first season in senior football.

Trevitt played fly-half during his younger years and England’s two No 10s Owen Farrell and George Ford have certainly been getting his nod of approval for their fine performances as Steve Borthwick’s side reached the semi-finals in France.

He said: “Growing up I was playing football and rugby equally. I played for Harlequins Under-14s and Under-15s while also with Leatherhead youth in football.

“I had trials with Fulham and QPR, which didn’t work out.

“Then aged 16 I had to choose which sport to play because football moved to the same day we played rugby.

“I went for football and I’m glad I did because within months of making that decision Brentford signed me!

“But I do remember rugby fondly. I had an understanding for the game.

“There were a lot of big fellas I played alongside. It helped me a lot with my mentality and physicality, which is important in football too.

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GettyThe 20-year-old previously wanted to follow in the footsteps of Owen Farrell[/caption]

“Rugby also helped me develop technical skills, hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination.

“It’s been beneficial stuff that has helped me in football.

“I do like to still play now and again with mates down the local park — but it’s just throwing a rugby ball and kicking it around a bit. Nothing serious.”

Watching footballers roll around after the faintest contact can be cringeworthy — especially when rugby stars take brutal hits yet dust themselves off and get on with it as though nothing happened.

But Trevitt believes that is because simulation is now part and parcel of football due to the way games are officiated and played in comparison to rugby.

He said: “With football it’s more that you’ve got to play the game. If you get tackled, you roll about, and it wins you the foul sometimes.

“You’ve got to be streetwise on the pitch but, that being said, sometimes you can get a nasty stud or something which does hurt a bit.

“But if you compare it to rugby, it’s nothing really.

“However, I don’t cringe in football when I see how people react to tackles because I’ve always played both games and I understand it from both sides.”

Trevitt joined Exeter on a season-long loan shortly after a three-year contract extension at Brentford in  the summer.

He has started in 11 of Grecians’ 14 games in League One this season and made one sub appearance, although Gary Caldwell’s side has made a mixed start to the season.

After winning five of their first eight games and knocking out Premier League Luton in the Carabao Cup, they go into tomorrow’s St James’s Park clash on a run of six straight League defeats and seven in the last eight.

But everything is a huge new experience for Trevitt after his superb year playing for the Brentford B side that won the Premier League Trophy last season.

He added: “This past year has been the one where I’ve developed the most.

“I played the most minutes last season and that benefitted me. I also spent a long time with the first team. I spent the whole pre-season with them. For the first six months I was with them most of the time and being with them every day developed me and helped me understand the game more.

“I got 17 goals and assists so it reaped benefits.

“Jude Bellingham and Kevin De Bruyne are the two players I like to model myself on the most — I’m always watching clips of De Bruyne.

“I work with Steven Pressley at Brentford, and he gets clips of De Bruyne showing his positioning and little bits of the games he plays. and I watch that for the little things

“I can get from it — runs, positions, how to create a bit of space to put a ball in.

“I’ve always been a No 6, eight or ten and I feel I can play all three. A lot of players like to specialise in one, but I think I can play all three.

“It definitely helps being versatile because not all teams are going to play the same formation. So if I can play in all those positions, it gives me a better chance.

“I’m always challenging myself. Even the things I’m good at I think I can always do more — more goals and assists.

“Every area of my game is progressing — defensively I’m always working on my positioning, working on trying to be proactive, not reactive.”

Trevitt says he opted to join Exeter this season because their possession-based style suits his game the best.

He added: “I want to get on the ball so it was a perfect fit for me really.”

And the midfield ace hopes all the experience gained in Devon will help him eventually develop into a player that Thomas Frank will start putting into the Brentford team.

He said: “I’m a very ambitious person. Premier League is the aim but it’s hard to put a timescale on when that can happen because things can change so quickly in football.

“But I’m aiming high.”

GettyTrevitt says he idolises Kevin De Bruyne[/caption]