BEFORE returning to Accrington Stanley on a permanent deal Matt Crooks considered widening his football education with a move abroad.

The 21-year-old was told he was allowed to leave Huddersfield and find a new club before re-joining the Reds in the final week of February, and he came close to swapping the north of England for warmer climes.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The Leeds-born former Manchester United youngster got in touch with former Burnley striker Martin Paterson, who Crooks played with at Huddersfield and is now on loan at Orlando City, about a move to the MLS.

When that failed to materialise he was offered a move to Greece, although with the Greek league suspended recently due to fan violence it was a wise decision to shy away from that option.

Instead the versatile Crooks returned to the Store First Stadium and the other side of the Pennines, but he hasn’t given up on his dream of playing abroad at some point in his career.

“My main focus was MLS, I wanted to get over there,” he said of plans to move abroad when Chris Powell told him he could leave Huddersfield.

“I know Martin Paterson, who was at Burnley, he was with Huddersfield with me, I’d text him a couple of times now he is at Orlando, so I tried and they wanted me to fly out but it was all too difficult. I left it after about five days of trying.

“Then I’ve got a friend who I was at United with, his dad is an agent in Greece so he said I could go there if I wanted to but I decided against that one.”

Crooks, who has played up front and in defence for Stanley but operated in central defence and midfield for Huddersfield, said he has held an ambition to play abroad for some timeis younger days.

“Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to play abroad, I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am,” he said. “I’m keen to try different styles of playing and embracing different cultures, I’ve always been open to the idea of playing abroad.”

For a young English player to consider moving abroad at such a tender age in their footballing career is unusual, but Crooks isn’t sure why more players don’t consider that route, despite the riches on offer at the top of the English game.

“I don’t understand why more players don’t go abroad,” he said. “It broadens your horizons.

“The Premier League and the leagues below it are probably the best in football, so it’s understandable why some don’t go abroad, but if you get the chance I don’t understand why you shouldn’t.”

Crooks has signed an 18-month deal with John Coleman’s side at the Store First Stadium, but at some point in his career he still plans to try out a foreign league, and he believes a spell abroad can only help him develop personally and professionally.

“You learn different cultures, you learn to play with different players and , different coaching techniques and different ways of playing that you haven’t thought of before,” he said.