'I was a Prem star bought for £35m - then I went to work on a building site'

Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater has swapped the football pitch for a construction site since leaving the game. The 34-year-old, who once raked in substantial wages as an England international, has taken an unexpected path following his retirement from professional football in 2022.

Drinkwater caused quite a stir when he uploaded a photo to Instagram 12 months ago, which depicted him clad in a bright orange top, standing beside timber and beneath scaffolding, with the caption: "On site today." The ex-Chelsea player clapped back at a fan who sent him a direct message stating: "F***ing hell, Danny, you've hit rock bottom."

He responded by sharing a screenshot of the message and replying: "Some of these messages, behave. I love being on site grafting! It's a choice."

It remains unclear whether Drinkwater has turned to the building trade as his main source of income or if it's merely a side project. At the peak of his career, he was pocketing a cool £120,000 per week at Stamford Bridge.

Despite the financial gains from his time with Chelsea, Drinkwater's stint resulted in a mere 23 first-team appearances over five years, earning it the reputation as one of the most disappointing transfers in Premier League history.

Drinkwater joined Chelsea amid high expectations after securing a £35million move and clinching the Premier League title with Leicester just two seasons before.

After a series of unsuccessful loan spells at Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasimpasa, and Championship side Reading, Drinkwater's exit from Chelsea came in 2022, with his retirement officially declared nearly a year and a half later.

"It's been a long time coming maybe, especially with the last year, but I think it's time to officially announce it now," Drinkwater revealed on the High Performance Podcast. "I think I've been in limbo for too long.

"I've been wanting to play but not getting the opportunity to play at a standard or a level where I felt valued. I'm happy not playing football but I'm happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport?

"It's all I've known. It's been my life since I was six, seven years old. It was never going to be an easy thing. If I was playing week in, week out and I had to say I've got to stop, maybe through injury or through just age, not being able to get about the pitch like I'd like to, I think it would be trickier."