BOLTON-born Paul Wheatcroft goes on TV tonight to relive the traumatic moments when Manchester United showed him the door.

Wheatcroft, now signed to Wanderers as a striker, is currently on loan to Third Division Rochdale to gain experience.

He thought he had hit the jackpot after graduating from the FA's National School of Excellence at Lilleshall and signing as a professional at Manchester United.

But after three years he was released.

Paul told the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine: "As a child, I did well academically and just played football for fun. But after joining Manchester United boys, I was offered the place at Lilleshall.

"I was proud, having been chosen from 1,500 hopefuls, but I didn't really want to leave my school and considering not take up the offer. I went in the end, though, and did well, becoming top scorer for England Schoolboys in my first year at Lilleshall.

"When I left to join Manchester United, my head was full of dreams and expectations at the prospect of playing with all the greats -- Keane, Beckham, Giggs and Scholes. But I hated it.

"I didn't like the coaches and no matter how much effort I put in. I felt I was getting nowhere. I thought I could get by on natural ability, but I wasn't strong enough physically and the coaches didn't help me build myself up. They just chucked me in the deep end and left me to drown.

"By the third year of my contract I was a low as you can get. Then, one day, I was selected to play a so-called friendly against Halifax Town.

"But when we came out on the pitch there were hundreds of scouts everywhere -- it dawned on me that we'd been put on the market and not even told about it. It was like a cattle market. That day was the worst point of my career.

"I was so furious that I played well and scored the only goal of the match, and the manager of Bolton Wanderers offered me a contract on the spot.

"When I left United last year, there were no twinges of regret. It took me six months to recover from my experiences. Then, just as I'd got my form back, I fractured my toe and was out for four months -- another stroke of bad luck. But I came back this season and am now feeling good, about my game and myself. I still haven't ruled out playing for England, but there's a long way to go.

"I'm a bit of a deep thinker and in football it doesn't pay to be too thoughtful. It's an emotional world and you need a thick skin -- I'm still developing that. But I'm one of the lucky ones.

"At my age, 80 per cent of young footballers fail to make the grade, and I know other young lads who played at United with me and are working in shops now. They just never recovered from the disappointment."

World At Their Feet (ITV1, Monday, December 3, 10.20pm)