'Role model' - When Walsall striker Aaron Pressley played with Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo
Walsall striker Aaron Pressley was handed an early footballing education during his stint with Brentford.
Coached by Thomas Frank, Pressley rubbed shoulders with a host of elite names, including Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, former Walsall defender Rico Henry, Manchester United winger Bryan Mbeumo and England international Ivan Toney.
He made just two cameos from the bench in the Championship and played 26 minutes in a 3-1 defeat against Leicester City in the FA Cup, but that early experience taught him a number of valuable lessons.
"It was probably the best thing that happened to me in terms of understanding fitness, training properly. It was amazing for me to see that side of it," the Scotsman reflects.
"I probably hadn't ever been as fit as I had when I was there. I started to play in a way that I didn't think I had in me because of that. Ever since, I've taken some key lessons from that.
"There were some great coaches there. Neil McFarlane, even when I was up with the first team, working with Thomas Frank and his backroom staff. Then my dad came in actually, two seasons after, I sent him the job online.
"The next thing he got the job. In terms of the coaches there, they were huge for me. Trusted me, put belief in me and I started to believe more in myself."
