The career of a professional footballer can be a rollercoaster ride.
Zach Clough was named amongst the best youngsters in the EFL after breaking into the first-team at Bolton Wanderers in 2015 at the age of just 19. On his senior debut, Clough scored the winner in an Emirates FA Cup third-round tie against Wigan and was duly described as a "special player" by manager Neil Lennon.
The attacking midfielder, who scored an impressive 21 goals in 59 games at his boyhood club, earned a life-changing £3million move to Nottingham Forest in January 2017. However, it was a transfer that didn't work out for Clough. Despite helping The Reds to Championship survival in his first six months, his career at the City Ground quickly went south.
Having played just 31 games in a Forest shirt, Clough left the club three years after his last appearance when his contract was mutually terminated. In that time, Clough endured two different loan spells, spent time in the club’s Under 23s and struggled with a series of injuries.
There was so much optimism for Clough but it duly waned as he would spend time at Carlisle and Wigan following his release, before making the shock decision to switch England for Australia. The 27-year-old embarked on a new chapter Down Under as he joined Adelaide United in February 2022.
Clough, who penned a new two-year deal back in May, is enjoying his football once again and is staying injury-free - something that didn’t happen during his final couple of seasons back in England.
"It has been top class to be honest, ever since I got here the group of lads have been really good," Clough tells Mirror Football. "On and off the pitch, it is a really nice change of lifestyle because you have got the opportunity to go to beaches every day.
"The standard of football is also really good, and I was a little bit surprised really by how good the A League actually is. It is a really good, technical league. The speed is a lot different to England, but there are a lot of good players here and you can see by the amount of players who come over, it is good.
"The players in Australia probably feel a little bit more relaxed and can enjoy the football a lot more here, rather than in England where it is really intense. I feel like you can enjoy your football over here more, maybe because it’s not as intense off the pitch."
Although Clough has scored just twice in 15 games since making the switch to Adelaide, he has become a firm fans' favourite and earned the Man of the Match award after netting in their cup success over arch rivals Adelaide City last Wednesday. He is beginning to get back to his best after a troubled time in England and Clough hopes he can continue to stay fit and perform on the pitch.
He added: "I was at Forest for a long time and wasn’t playing for 18 months to two years and it was tough. To get your body back to where it was before that period, it takes a long time.
"I was probably getting a bit frustrated with myself by my standard when I wasn’t playing. But it took so much time to get my body right, I was picking up so many niggles in England, and with the amount of games you have, it is really hard to get back to the level you were at.
"Over here (Australia), there are less games, you get more time to recover in games, and I feel like it has really helped to get my body to where I felt I was. Adelaide has been really good, I picked up a few niggles with the heat and the different sort of pitches, but I feel like my body is sort of getting used to it now."
Clough made 157 appearances in English football before his move to Adelaide, scoring 32 times and chipping in with 15 assists. When asked about whether Clough has aspirations to return to England in the future, he said: "For sure.
"The way my body feels good right now, I’m still quite young in terms of football, so I would never rule out going back home and playing for sure. If you are fit and strong, I feel like that gives you the best possible chance to show your talent.
"But if you are not playing, picking up injuries, it is hard to get your body right like I keep saying. I feel like I need a period of playing games regularly, staying fit and who knows where it could take me."
