Semi-pro club Hyde United scouted 24-year-old defensive midfielder Emmanuel Tchouani whilst at our Manchester trial back in April.

Of Cameroonian origin, Emmanuel moved to the UK from Canada to achieve his dream of playing football professionally. He told us: “When I was in Canada, my sister in the UK called me to tell me that a friend had asked her to tell me about an opportunity for me (UK Football Trials). That interested me so I applied for a residence permit in the UK and I came.”

Emmanuel does not have a huge footballing background, he explained: “I do not really have a history in football. Since I was young, I still evolve alone in football.  Playing alone, I participated in football tournaments in summer, but I never really integrated a football team. This is because I did not have the support of some members of my family.”

When about his experience with Hyde, Emmanuel told us: “I like Hyde as a club. The atmosphere with the teammates is good even though I still do not understand English well. I also like Nigel a lot; he does his job well.”

So far Emmanuel has played two games for the club, playing a full 90 minutes in both and is currently waiting to for an email to see whether he will be returning for pre-season.

When asked to give advice to others in his position, Emmanuel told us: “The only advice I can give to other players like me is to work very, very hard. Give the maximum each time and always believe in your talent and dreams.”

We would like to wish Emmanuel the best of luck in the future with Hyde and hope he can continue with the club and grow as a player.