24 February 2024 , 22:30
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Ashley Westwood was ready to hang up his boots - now he hopes to play on into his 40s with Charlotte FC.
"It's the best thing I've ever done," says the 33-year-old English midfield staple, who is living the American dream in North Carolina.
So much so, Westwood has just listed his family home in Cheshire for sale. His infectious, gleaming smile throughout the interview tells its own story.
He continued: "I was close to retiring. Very close after I did my ankle at Burnley. It was a mess. I got halfway through my rehab and was like 'I've had enough, I'm done'. But even before that I was getting fed up with football."
Westwood, who has played 286 games in the top-flight, racked up 181 appearances during a commendable five-year stint at Turf Moor but the exhausting and persistent fight for Premier League survival proved mentally taxing.
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He explained: "With Burnley it was just about constantly trying to stay up and avoid relegation. I had 10 to 12 years of that and it gets a lot. Mentally it gets tough. The only thing with English football is that you never know when it's going to turn.
"I took a lot of stick at Aston Villa, the gaffer [Dean Smith] is a Villa fan and even he came in and battered me! It was hard for my family, we lived in Birmingham and it was really tough. The chairman pulled the money out of the club and it created a toxic atmosphere."
However, a life-changing telephone call from Charlotte's ambitious sporting director Zoran Krneta offered Westwood renewed hope.
Ashley Westwood has squared off against Lionel Messi in the MLS (Charlotte FC)It was a golden opportunity to try something fresh and he was so desperate to seal the move, he approached Vincent Kompany to request the mutual termination of his Clarets contract.
Charlotte couldn't afford to pay a transfer fee due to the MLS' strict spending rules and thankfully, the Belgian tactician reluctantly obliged.
"It's given me a massive boost, a new lease of life," Westwood says. "I could've had some regrets as I asked to leave Burnley. But it's been the best thing for me and my family, the kids are thriving and the wife is really enjoying it, too. Hopefully I'll be going until I'm 40, I want to stay here a long time."
Krneta has since asked Westwood and his wife Rebecca to play a role in convincing transfer targets that Charlotte, the fastest growing city in the United States, can offer something different.
Although he does not mention names, Westwood claims close friends within football have consulted him to query what the MLS has to offer.
Ashley Westwood was ready to retire before Charlotte came calling (Charlotte FC)He also played a vital backstage role in the appointment of ex-Villa boss Smith, stating: "Zoran spoke to me and as soon as his name cropped up I was like 'we have to go and get him, he's incredible'.
"There were a few more in for the job but I just tried to sell it to him as he was the perfect fit. Jack Grealish still texts me to ask how the gaffer is doing, hopefully we can get him here!"
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Dad-of-two Westwood is also fathering 16-year-old talent Nimfasha Berchimas, who has already gone on trial at Bayern Munich. He concluded: "I spoke to him about Dean and said 'if you impress him, he won't be scared to throw you in'. He has a really good chance of making it."