There was a time when Beni Baningime considered walking away from football but the midfielder has felt a "revival" at Hearts since joining the summer.
The 23-year-old joined the club from Everton in the summer and has proven to be a revelation for Robbie Neilson's men, forming a strong midfield partnership with fellow new boy Cammy Devlin.
But at one point he felt like giving up on the game. Tired of loans and under-23 football in England, Baningime, he conceded he had reached a stage where it felt like he would never get his chance.
Hearts came along and he hasn't looked back.
"This has revived me. That’s the word. It’s a revival,” he told Edinburgh Evening News. “There was a time I felt like giving up. I was speaking to God and I said: ‘I want to give up. I’m done.’
"It had reached a point in my head where I was thinking no-one would ever give me a chance.
"Many people think I’m just trying to go for the next move. That’s not really my mindset. I’m not in a rush. I want to appreciate everything I’ve been given here. It’s an opportunity I didn’t think would come. I really didn’t.
"For the gaffer to have such faith in me and for the boys to be so great with me, it’s something really special. If I ever do go or whatever happens afterwards, Hearts will always be in my heart. It will be somewhere that I think: ‘That’s where I started my career.’
"Because of Everton and the different places I’ve been, I’ve never really had that opportunity."
Baningime has formed a midfield partnership and close friendship with Devlin at the Scottish Premiership club.
"That’s my guy, I say it all the time. He’s a funny guy and a great player,” he said of Devlin. "The first time I saw him play was a bounce game here and I was like: ‘Wow. This guy is a really good player.’
"We have very different backgrounds but we are pretty similar. I’m a little bit calmer, he’s a little bit wilder. We’ve struck up a good relationship and we go out for meals and things off the pitch.
"I’ve got a good relationship with everyone because the team is so tight. I feel I can speak to everyone and that’s probably where our success comes from. We may not be best friends but we can speak without awkwardness.
"In some teams, you can only speak to the people you are friends with. This group is a really good bunch of lads."
