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Ex-Aston Villa forward Andre Green who starred alongside Jack Grealish now tearing it up for Slovakian side SK Slovan

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ANDRE GREEN feels like a man reborn after swapping Birmingham for Bratislava.

The former Aston Villa forward made the brave decision to move to the Slovakian capital in a bid to revive his career after signing for SK Slovan Bratislava last summer.

Andre Green has scored 14 goals for SK Slovan after signing from Sheffield Wednesday last summerCredit: Reuters
Green played a role in helping get Aston Villa back to the Premier League alongside Jack GrealishCredit: Rex

And after already clinching the league title and bagging goals in Europe this season, Green believes his leap of faith has paid off.

The 23-year-old told SunSport: “Coming and joining Bratislava was a daunting experience but no one else my age or English has experienced coming out here.

“I get messages of support on Instagram from Lyle Taylor and Conor Gallagher.

“A few have said that it is an inspiration, which is good.

“Every year I gain experience but this has been the most valuable to progress my career.

“I needed this to kickstart everything back up again and I am more confident than I have ever been.”

Green has notched 14 goals and seven assists already this term, with five of those strikes coming in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.

But it has not always been plain sailing for the Villa academy graduate, having endured a hard two years in English football.

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After playing his part in getting Villa back to the Premier League in 2019 beside Jack Grealish, a loan to Preston backfired before Covid wrecked a move to Charlton.

Following 15 years, Villa released him and he was clubless for six months until Sheffield Wednesday offered him an 18-month deal.

But after relegation to League One, Green’s career was up in the air before he packed his bags to become the first English star to play football in Slovakia.

Green admitted: “My career went through a few years of stop, start with injuries and Covid so I needed to go away, reset and build myself back up.

“I thought Slovan would be the best place for me to play week in, week out, which I needed at this critical point in my career.

“There is less pressure here, nobody knows you so you are making your name again. Thankfully, it is working out.

“In the future, the next move from here won’t be as difficult for me. The next one will be easy.”

Green won the play off final in 2019 with Villa before going out on loan to Preston and CharltonCredit: Jamie McPhilimey – The Sun
Green now lives in the Slovakian capital Bratislava with his girlfriendCredit: Getty

Despite returning to form on the pitch, Green admits struggling at the start as Slovakia was still under lockdown.

But despite not taking to the food, with restrictions now lifted Green frequently takes a two-hour car journey into Vienna with his girlfriend Alice.

He joked: “I stay far away from the food, it’s not my type of thing.

Luckily they have a Tesco here, so I can get the basics.

“When I first signed, there were no fans and the shops were shut.

“Me and my girlfriend could not go out and do anything.

“We were just sitting inside and she was staying at home while I went to training.

“It was tough but it was also just more motivation for me to play well.

“If I came here and didn’t do what I have done with my goals and assists, it would have been a lot more difficult to have coped.

“But now I feel like I am mentally ready for anything.”

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk

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