I fell out of love with football after Man Utd release but I've found that hunger again

EXCLUSIVE: I fell out of love with football after Man Utd release but I've found that hunger againJames Nolan came through Manchester United's ranks at the same time as the likes of Kobbie Mainoo but his football career looks very different these daysCommentsSportTom Victor Senior Sports Journalist08:30, 04 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesJames Nolan trained with Manchester United's first team but never made a senior appearance for the club(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)It was the week before Christmas when James Nolan learned his Manchester United career would be coming to an end. The full-back spent more than a decade on United’s books, captaining the Under-18s side and playing with future first-teamers Kobbie Mainoo and Jack Fletcher, only to fall agonisingly short of a senior bow.‌Nolan, who humbly refers to himself as ‘A lad from Chorley’ rather than talking up his United credentials, loved his time at Old Trafford but admits he fell out of love with football after his release and his struggles to find a new club. A move to Baller League has changed that, though, with the 20-year-old enjoying a new lease on life as he rubs shoulders with a number of others with similar stories to his own.‌“I was very close to Man Utd's first team,” Nolan told Mirror Football . “I was packed and ready to go to Wembley when they played Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final [in 2024].‌“[Sofyan] Amrabat was injured and I was near enough there, then Amrabat ends up being fit. Then, going out to America [in pre-season] on my first year pro, I've got all my kit and then on the day I wasn't named in the squad to go.“So I was touching it [and] that's why I think I was obviously so disheartened by it all. Because you're that close and then to obviously be so far away, it's difficult.”FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page‌READ MORE: Man Utd bosses fear new transfer issue thanks to Andre...