John Bostock insists he is happy playing in the second division of Belgium football after promising so much as a youngster.
The now-22-year old midfielder made headlines back in 2007 when he became Crystal Palace's youngest-ever debutant as a 15-year old before making the move from south to north London by joining Tottenham in 2008.
There was so much promise surrounding Bostock but loan spells with Brentford, Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town and Toronto FC suggested he hadn't quite made it with Spurs.
Bostock was then sold to Royal Antwerp in 2013 and now finds himself in the second tier in Belgium with OH Leuven but he says he does not regret leaving England.
"It was difficult, it was challenging: challenging to have to prove your potential, that it's not just potential but performance. It was tough," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"I was at Spurs for five or six years, my time had come to an end there, and I was just looking for the next step in my career to progress as a player and as a person as well.
"I had a few offers in England, and a few other offers in Europe, but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink took the job at Royal Antwerp and for me, I just needed to get my head down, to play, to learn the game, to really improve as player and really get that foundation of getting games, and he offered me that, and I just thought it was a no-brainer.
"Everyone's dream is to come play in England, so for us as young English players, we grow up thinking this is the only place for us to play.
"But it came to a point in my career where it was time for me just to play, just to get a football understanding, to improve and develop as a player, learn a different footballing culture, and Belgium was the right place for me."
So far this season, Bostock has scored six league goals for Leuven who currently sit sixth on the second division table.
