 He was only 5 ft 2 in ( 1 @.@ 57 m ) at the age of 14 , but a late growth spurt took him to just under six foot , and was therefore tall enough to play centre @-@ back as a professional footballer . He was offered an apprenticeship by Portsmouth , but turned it down as he wanted to sign for his local club Stoke City , who initially were not willing to take him on as an apprentice . They only allowed him to train with the ' A ' team twice a week as an amateur whilst he initially worked as a plumber 's mate , and later as a factory worker at Stone Lotus . 
