I played alongside Ronaldo and Scholes at Man Utd but now run a shop aged 35 – I regret leaving Man Utd too early

RICHARD ECKERSLEY once known for his brief stint under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009 has now embarked on a very different career path. 

The Red Devils academy graduate has transitioned from football to running a zero-waste shop in Devon.

Getty – ContributorRichard Eckersley began his senior career at Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson[/caption]

SWNS:South West News ServiceThe forgotten Man Utd man now owns Britain’s first zero-waste supermarket with his wife[/caption]

The Manchester United forgotten man made his first-team debut for in an FA Cup match against Tottenham on January 24, 2009, as a substitute.

Having joined United as a nine-year-old, he achieved his lifelong dream of making his first-team debut stepping off the bench at Old Trafford.

The former defender played alongside United legends Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Roy Keane.

Eckersley told Manchester Evening News: “It was an awe-inspiring kind of moment.

“I was playing with people I had watched growing up and I was giving them the ball. It was a really surreal moment.”

Three days later, he made his league debut in a 5-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Then on March 1, 2009, he was on the bench for the League Cup Final, which United won, earning him his first career medal.

But his time with the senior squad did not last long as he left Old Trafford at the end of the season and signed a four-year contract with Burnley.

And the 35-year-old reflecting on his football said he regrets leaving Old Trafford so early on in his career.

Eckersley continued: “I think the decision to leave United was probably too early for me.

“I think I probably should have stayed on and developed at Carrington under the coaches that I was already working with, because I was making steady progress.

“I think the jump from the cusp of one of the world’s greatest teams, you could say at that time, to Burnley, who had just got promoted but were going to be a struggling team in the Premier League was a massive jump.”

After moving to Burnley Eckersley’s career took a different turn.

He had loan spells with Plymouth, Bradford, and Bury before crossing the Atlantic to join MLS side Toronto in 2011, making the move permanent the following season.

The move to the MLS was a much-needed change for the Salford-born star, who had lost his love for the game in the UK.

Eckerlsey said: “I was desperate just to play and desperate to enjoy football, because at the time I wasn’t enjoying football.

“I was playing in League Two, I was going on loan to Bradford, Bury and places like that.

“Even though it was competitive football, I just wasn’t enjoying the football side of things because I enjoyed playing football and how we used to play at United.”

But at 26, after leaving Toronto and having stints with New York Red Bulls and Oldham, Eckersley decided to retire from football.

Seeking a new direction that would bring him closer to his family, he chose an uncommon path for ex-footballers by opening a zero-waste shop.

Passionate about vegan and organic food, Eckersley and his wife founded Earth.Food.Love, the UK’s first zero-waste shop, located in Totnes, Devon.

He added: “It gives us a purpose, I think that is the biggest thing. I love letting my children see that.

“I think that is the biggest thing: seeing their mum and their dad enjoying what they do. We’re all intermingling and they are never more than five minutes away from me all the time. That is important for me.”