Wanderers forward John McAtee might not have had a career in professional football if it wasn’t for Shrewsbury Town.

The 25-year-old got his first taste of EFL football under Paul Hurst, who returned to the Shropshire club earlier this year.

McAtee had been in multiple clubs’ youth ranks but had started to turn his focus away from football when the call came about an opportunity at Shrewsbury.

“I have got a lot of love for that club because I had actually stopped playing before I went there,” he said.

“I had been released by Burnley when I was about 15 and was planning on going to College, I kind of took my mind away from football for a short while.

“I got a phone call from by old Liverpool coach who was at Shrewsbury asking if I wanted to come down and have a game. I did well and jumped back into football through that.”

“It got to a stage where I wasn’t enjoying playing like I had when I was younger,” the attacker continued. “I probably just wanted to enjoy myself a bit more but thankfully I did get back into it.”

McAtee, who grew up down the road in Walkden, gained experience during loan spells at Ashton United and Curzon Ashton among others while on Shrewsbury’s books.

“It was all about getting experience, as a young lad learning the trade and getting to grips with men’s football. I really enjoyed my time there,” he recalled.

McAtee also played under Hurst at Scunthorpe and Grimsby before earning a move to Luton in 2022.

He failed to make a senior appearance for the Hatters but enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Barnsley last term.

To say the 25-year-old comes from a sporting family would be an understatement. His younger brother, James, plays for Manchester City and recently featured in the Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley.

McAtee’s father and grandfather both played professional rugby for Leigh and St Helens respectively.

The Bolton man is also a relation of Alan Ball, who was part of England’s World Cup winning squad in 1966.

The forward gets on well with his brother, although football is usually the last thing they want to talk about.

“We speak quite often but not about football,” he smiled. “Obviously, our whole lives revolve around football so when we see each other, it is nice to take the football side out of it.

“Sometimes we do though, if he comes to watch me play he will tell me what he thinks and vice versa. We have a really good relationship.”

With two generations of rugby players before him, McAtee tried his hand at the sport as a youngster but quickly decided he was better suited to football.

“When I was younger I used to go and watch my dad all the time, but it wasn’t the sport for me,” he said. “I tried to play it but wasn’t very good!”