Fikayo Tomori has revealed how his father inspired him to press ahead with his Chelsea career after being overawed by his first experience of Cobham.
The defender joined the club at the age of seven before progressing through the ranks, before leaving the club's centre of excellence to begin training at the main Cobham training ground.
Having been taking opponents on with ease in the development ranks, Tomori found himself jumping up to a significantly higher level, and questioned whether he could return.
"Once I've left the centre of excellence, I'm going to Cobham and obviously this is proper Cobham, I'd see Tammy [Abraham] there, Dom Solanke," Tomori told Chelsea TV in a discussion with his father, Olayinka.
"I noticed that I couldn't just pick the ball up and run through everyone. So after that I got back in the car and I told my parents: 'I'm not coming back here anymore.'
"It was obviously a level up and my dad said: 'No, you're going to come back.'
"It wasn't the fact that he was saying: 'You must be a footballer, you must play football,' it was kind of like, you are at a level where you need to challenge yourself.
"There is no point playing with people that you find it too easy, if you come here and challenge yourself you are going to get better and I am glad he had that take on it."
Tomori has been one of the academy talents to break through into the senior team under manager Frank Lampard, having won player of the season under his management during a year on loan at Derby last season.
His progress at domestic level has seen the 22-year-old, who has also completed a business degree, claim a first England cap this season.
