Shay Facey’s education from Patrick Vieira, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard

The 25-year-old has had a whirlwind career in such a short space of time, having come through the Manchester City academy.

The Mancunian was a homegrown talent among a host of foreign stars – including Kelechi Iheanacho, Brahim Diaz and Angelino – but it was the man in charge of the reserves that left Facey starstruck.

“It was fantastic – there were many good coaches I had along the way, but the one stand-out one for me was Vieira,” Facey said. “The playing pedigree he had and the managers he worked under, he had a knack for coaching.

“He was able to relate to young lads. Sometimes the gap can be big between coaches and players, but Patrick was brilliant. He took a liking to me and helped me along the way. Even with the array of superstars around the club, he was always a huge presence whenever he was in the building – even the first-team players looked up to him.

“As a young lad learning my trade, to have him there to help was surreal, but to get to know him on a personal level made it even better. You appreciate him as a player, that goes without saying, but he’s a really nice guy as well.

“It was a big eye-opener to see how someone with that stature in the game conducted himself and treated people – there was something you could take from him every day.”

After several years in City’s youth ranks, the opportunity arose for Facey to get his first taste of senior football, with sister club New York City.

He crossed the pond to play for Jason Kreis’ side, taking a huge step in his career at 20 years old.

“Everything happens so quick in football, the window opened and the opportunity came up,” Facey added. “I was over there before I knew it and you just focus on football, taking it in your stride.

“It was daunting at the same time because I was having to sort out my living arrangements and banking – stuff I hadn’t had to do before.

“The level of accountability and responsibility stepped up and I had to grasp it quite quickly.”

Although adjusting to life abroad was a challenge in itself, performing on the pitch was another matter – and Facey went on to make 24 appearances for New York in a successful loan spell.

During that time, he shared the turf with three household names in the footballing world – Villa, Pirlo and Lampard.

“It’s something that I could sit down and think about all day long,” Facey said. “In the moment you take it in, but now stepping back and reflecting you wonder if it really happened.

“Watching them in training more than anything, to see the habits, regimes and professionalism – and then obviously the quality shines through.

“They were doing things with the ball that I didn’t know were possible, I watched in awe.

“A lot of the time when training finished the lads would sit on the floor and watch those three do their extra bits after – everyone admired them, but didn’t want to look like too much of a fan.

“It was a lot easier for me to get along with Frank because we spoke the same language.

“David and Andrea spoke English, but it was a bit broken, so conversation was easier with Frank.

“I knew him at City as well, when he was there, so we’d crossed paths.

“I moved out there with my girlfriend and he was there with his wife, and they got along well, so we had a good connection.

“I spoke to him quite a lot about my role as a defender and he’d speak a lot about John Terry and his leadership and communication as a defender.

“He gave me quite a few tips and helped me along the way, but so did the other two. Andrea more gave you a telling off if you did something wrong, because his standards were so high.

“David was fantastic, he was the captain and was full of encouragement for the young lads.”

After his time in America, Facey joined Rotherham in January 2016 and made five Championship appearances and one in the FA Cup.

The 2016/17 season then saw another spell abroad, as Facey joined Dutch Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen.

Despite coming through as a promising youngster at City and then proving his worth in America, his time in Holland fell flat – playing only three times.

"That was my most disappointing spell," he added.

"It was another great opportunity that landed in my lap and there was a chance for me to go and stay there after my loan as well.

"A few things happened around the time when I moved. My mum was ill and that took quite an affect on me mentally.

"Moving country without speaking the same language and although they do speak English, Heerenveen is a very Dutch part of Holland, if that makes any sense.

"They won't speak English if they don't have to and it was difficult for me to grasp the language.

"That translated into training also and there would be a lot of miscommunication as well, so the biggest problem was settling in.

"The coaching, style of play and everything suited me and it's a great club – I just didn't settle in.

"Overall it was very disappointing that it didn't work out but I got to live in another part of the world and see another culture – it was another experience."

After a struggle to settle in and a battle with injuries, Facey eventually left Heerenveen in March 2017.

Two months earlier in January, Real Madrid wonderkid Martin Ødegaard joined the Dutch club on-loan at 18-years-old.

Although Facey only spent a limited amount of time with the Norwegian star, he insists that his quality was evident from the first moment.

"He was an unbelievable talent, you could tell from the first training session with the ability he had," Facey said.

"For him to play in Holland where the main focus is on the technical ability, it was water off a duck's back.

"He took to it a bit better than I did but he also had limited playing time.

"I think that was due to the manager's way of settling players in, he didn't want to throw anyone in.

"A lot of the time we played together in the reserve games and waited for our chance which never really came for either of us.

"He stayed on and had another season after that and then went to Vitesse and set the league alight.

"Now with Real Sociedad he's touted as one of the best in La Liga this year, it just shows different paths for people.

"He was a great guy and had no arrogance or ego about him, just a regular guy."

After leaving Man City, Facey spent a season-and-a-half with Northampton before joining Walsall in the summer.

Now 25-years-old, the Mancunian believes that the hectic start to his career is at an end and he has found a home in the Black Country.

"It's every player's aim to play as high as they can and it comes down to maximising your potential," he said.

"I'm in the business end now and for me it's about playing as many games as possible and performing well consistently.

"As a young player you can get away with having potential and performing inconsistently but as time catches up you have to start bringing the goods.

"Walsall is a great club for me to be at, with a great coach and players.

"It's about getting my head down and enjoying it – I have my love back for the game again having gone through a bit of a rocky period at a few different clubs.

"Now I feel settled and happy."