Former Hearts youngster Marc Leonard has opened up on his struggles with homesickness after joining Brighton and Hove Albion.
The teen swapped Tynecastle for the Amex in 2018 and admits it was a difficult first year on the south coast of England.
But he reckons he wouldn’t swap it for anything after being blown away by the level of football as he looks to break into into Graham Potter’s first team.
Leonard was also at Rangers as a youth and admitted after his move south that the result-driven philosophy at Hearts didn’t suit his style in terms of development.
He’s turned it around in England though, having been named Brighton’s U18 Player of the Year and has also captained Scotland U19s.
And he told the Youth Football Scotland podcast: “It was tough being away from home.
"The first year was really hard in terms of missing Scotland but the football down there is just different class.
“The football makes up for missing home - it’s worth the sacrifice.
“The next step for me is pushing on to a first-team, hopefully at Brighton. I want to play at the highest level possible.
“My aim is to move into the Brighton team and play in the Premier League and then make the Scotland under-21 squad.
“I’d love to go onto play for Scotland at senior level - that would be a dream come true.”
