BURNING BRIGHT
I wanted to retire after battling Premier League relegation for years – quitting England has given me new lease of life
Midfielder says he was 'close' to never playing again but now dreams of playing until he is 40
ASHLEY WESTWOOD was ready to quit football after becoming tired of battling the drop at Burnley.
But the ex-Aston Villa midfielder has not stopped grinning since landing in North Carolina after deciding to carry on with Charlotte FC.
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After years of defying the odds to stay in the Premier League, Westwood, 33, broke his ankle towards the end of the season Burnley finally fell back to the Championship.
A new manager, Vincent Kompany, arrived and during rehab a frustrated Westwood was ready to call it a day, before Charlotte got in touch at the start of last year.
Westwood, beaming as he speaks at the 75,000 seat Bank of America stadium, said: "I was close to retiring, very close after I did my ankle at Burnley.
"It got to halfway through the rehab and I was like: 'I've had enough, I'm done'.
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"Even before that I was getting fed up with it. What Burnley did, it was just about constantly trying to stay up and avoid relegation. I had 10-12 years of it.
"It gets a lot. Mentally it gets tough. But then the opportunity to come here, it was the best thing I've ever done."
Westwood's enthusiasm for the city of Charlotte, between the Smoky Mountains and the beaches of America's east coast, is enough to make you want to drop everything and find an apartment.
His infectious attitude had just that impact on new manager Dean Smith, embarking outside of English football for the first time.
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Things have gone so well since that move last January that the family home in Cheshire is now up for sale.
He added: "It's given me a massive boost, a new lease of life. I could have some regrets because I asked to leave Burnley.
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"Vinnie was brilliant because Charlotte needed to get me on a free because of the wage structure.
"So I spoke to Vinnie and he said they didn't want to lose me but respected my decision and sent me on my way.
"It's been the best thing for me and my family, the kids are thriving, the wife is enjoying it.
"Hopefully I'll be going until I'm 40, I want to stay here a long time."
Not that getting to 40 is going to be easy.
Like many outside of America, Westwood assumed a Premier League player moving to Major League Soccer would find it a doddle.
He said: "When I first came in, I thought, 'Ah, it's gonna be easy. It's gonna be a walk in the park and I'll score and I'll get loads of assists'.
"It's far from it. It's very similar to the Championship but then you've got your designated players and they're like the sprinkle of the Premier League magic.
"They can just win games on their own but you have to be fit."
Having got up to speed with things, there was a special moment at the end of last season when Charlotte claimed a 1-0 win over Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
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Westwood got a picture with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, but reckons he never had a chance of swapping shirts.
He said: "I was trying to kick him so I don't think he would entertain it!"
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