“I left school at 16 and had never sent an email before”

His first day at Edge Hill University near Liverpool was daunting.

“I’d been out of education for 16 years: I hadn’t got an email address, I’d never sent an email,” Farrelly said. “You are petrified. You start off on a new path and you don’t know how it’s going to be.”

But, four years later, he graduated. He has since become a qualified lawyer specializing in the tax affairs of professional footballers and other athletes, and this year was selected to join the Premier League judicial panel.

His advice to players considering a second career is to ask people you trust for advice, and don’t panic.

“Try things, go and speak to people,” Farrelly said. “It might take someone working in an academy or coaching for a year before they realise” they’d prefer to do something else.

“You don’t have to be worried with respect to finding it immediately but the challenge is to surround yourself with good people to help you with whichever route you choose to navigate.”