Former Everton and Oldham defender Earl Barrett is now coaching in the US.

Barrett has embarked on a new life in Houston, Texas.

He told the Liverpool Echo: “I was working for the Academy at Stoke City for about seven years, working with 12-to-21-year-olds and while it was great and I had a good time there I looked at what the future held for me there and I couldn't see where I was going.

“I'd long held thoughts of coming to America and we rekindled that. About a year before we came here, my wife and I visited friends in California and then I came back again on my own to do more research by myself.

“Within about a month of that a deal was hatched and here I am."

He added: “I work for Rise Soccer Club. It was originally Houston Express and it's the same club but we've gone through a couple of mergers to become a bigger entity.

“I'm the assistant DA (Development Academy) director. DA, is the highest level of football here at youth level. The US Soccer Federation give funding to grant permission for clubs to run teams on their behalf with the ultimate goal of creating players for the national team.

“It means you get a higher standard of players and the mergers have given us a deeper pool to pick from.

“I look after the U17s and U19s age group as well as during the week, working on how the club is run so it's quite a big, all-encompassing role that is full-on."