Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu admits he almost rejected a career in football.

Etuhu's career in professional sports could have taken a very different route in athletics and the Fulham man is evidently thankful for taking up a second offer of a trial at Manchester City in his formative years.

He told fulhamfc.com: "Shawn Wright-Phillips is a good friend of mine and when they used to go and play Sunday League football I used to go with them sometimes. One day Manchester City watched me play and wanted me to go up there for a trial and I was like, 'no thanks'. They invited me again and I went.

"I started football really late, at about 15 or 16. I represented my county and my school at athletics and it was exciting but I wasn't too sure which event I really liked. I was good at field events like long jump and triple jump and it was exciting times.

"I'm still shocked to be a footballer really. I'm so happy to be a footballer I don't really thing about what I could have been. It's amazing that I switched sports at such a late time."