ALEX LOZOWSKI could have been pulling the strings for Harry Kane or even £65million man Alvaro Morata.
Instead the England rugby playmaker will be strutting his stuff in the No 10 shirt for European champions Saracens at Bath on Saturday.
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He then turned his back on the beautiful game and headed for the oval office to become a rugby star like his dad Rob, the one-capped England back.
Recalling his footballing past the fly-half told SunSport: “When I got released by Chelsea I basically stopped playing football and started taking rugby more seriously.
“Looking back now, I don’t think I was ever good enough to make it in the Premier League.
“I was good enough to get by for six years and when they started giving out contracts and people were going full-time that was when Chelsea told me: ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’
“I was in the team with Josh McEachran and also Adam Gemili – the sprinter. Up until 16 it was all about football and that was the sport I wanted to play.
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“But when it did end I was happy to leave it behind. If I had stayed at Chelsea I would have had to have left home, maybe joined another team and it could have been anywhere. I didn’t want to leave school either.
“My dad is a big Spurs fan and I also had trials at Arsenal. Harry Kane was in that same team as me and he was released by Arsenal too and I ended up playing against him for the under 15s at Chelsea. It’s pretty funny how it all turns out.
“At Sarries we all have a laugh and a joke about it. Everyone’s had trials somewhere, so they say, anyway!”
Lozowski, 24, was somewhat of a surprise package when he arrived at Allianz Park in 2016 from Wasps.
OTHER PREMIERSHIP STARS WHO COULD HAVE BEEN FOOTBALL HEROES
Danny Cipriani, Wasps – Chelsea
Alex Goode, Saracens – Ipswich Town
Danny Care, Harlequins – Sheffield Wednesday
Marland Yarde, Harlequins – QPR
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Boss Mark McCall signed him to be Owen Farrell’s understudy and was thrown in at the deep end as he started last season as No 1 with Lions ace Farrell out injured.
But Lozowski could be thrown back into the transfer merry-go-round himself as other clubs, including Wasps, now see him as one of the star 10s in the Premiership.
And after turning down an Italy call-up to follow his dad in becoming a Red Rose international Lozowski is now one of the hottest prospects in England.