'My mad journey to Portsmouth': Ex-Wigan man on Liverpool and Bolton heartbreak and remarkable career battle

An Everton fan heartbroken at Liverpool rejection, before finally finding a club at the age of 14 - there is nothing conventional about Callum Lang’s route into professional football.

No wonder the talented attacker can reflect on his ‘mad journey’ to Fratton Park with a smile and unabashed appreciation.

The talismanic 25-year-old has breathed fresh life into a once-faltering Pompey, rattling in four goals in seven appearances so far.

Lang quit Wigan, his home of 12 years, for the south coast in the final days of the January window, keen for a fresh adventure and the chance of a Championship return.

The Latics had revitalised a footballing dream in danger of fading away, with the youngster playing Saturday and Sunday grassroots level having twice suffered rejection by Liverpool, where he trained with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and then Bolton.

Yet, despite agonising set-backs along the way, the Bootle-born talent is adamant the unorthodox pathway was the making of him.

Lang told The News: ‘It has all been a bit of a mad journey. Joining my first football club at the age of 14 is probably a bit late, but it did me good.

‘As a kid, I just wanted to be a football player, I didn't think about anything else. In school, all I thought about was football.

‘I didn’t have any other options, so when Liverpool didn’t sign me I was absolutely gutted, in tears, even though I’m a big Everton fan.

‘Liverpool had a player development programme, a group of lads training who hadn’t yet got into the proper team, and I was there for a long, long time. I managed to get two trials for their Academy, training with Trent, who’s the same age.

‘He went and had an all right career! Whereas I was told to stay in the development group, the Academy didn’t want me. When you’re released you think it’s all over, but it definitely did me good.

‘As I wasn’t getting into the proper youth set-up, I went back playing grassroots in the Saturday and Sunday leagues with my mates. I played everywhere around the Liverpool area, for the Tigers, the Cougars, the Lions, there were loads of teams.

‘At that age, the main thing is to be enjoying your football, everyone plays their best football when they’re happy - and that’s a big thing for me.

‘It’s about being young and having a smile on your face, because it gets more serious and more cut-throat when you reach 16 onwards, the game's ruthless.’

It would be ex-Pompey boss Paul Cook who handed Lang his first-team debut in August 2017 shortly before his 19th birthday.

Featuring as a 65th-minute substitute against Blackpool in the EFL Cup, it was the first of 143 appearances and 31 goals for the Latics, spanning the Championship and League One.

Along the way there were loan spells at Morecambe, Oldham Shrewsbury and Motherwell, totalling 34 goals, as Lang flourished.

To think life at the DW Stadium began as a four-week trial and - 12 years later - his departure fetched an undisclosed transfer fee.

The attacker added: ‘I was spotted by a Bolton scout while playing for my school team, it was a bit out of the blue. I was there for 4-6 weeks on trial and they had a good look at me and decided I wasn’t for them.

‘I thought I'd done really well, I was kind of expecting to sign, but it didn’t work out. However, they instead passed my number onto Wigan, which was nice of them, and that was the perfect fit.

‘After four weeks, I signed permanently at the age of 14 and worked my way up through Wigan's Academy. When I was 15/16, I turned out for the under-18s, and it all went from there.

‘I couldn’t really get regular games early on, so went out on a few loans when Paul Cook was manager before coming back and establishing myself in the first-team.

‘As a 14-year-old kid signing after a trial, I never expected to be wearing the armband at the start of this season walking out with Wigan, it was a crazy feeling.

‘I look back on my time there with a smile because it has been brilliant for my career. Now I’m chasing success with Pompey - and I’m still enjoying football.'