Enrique Roca: Bouncing Back from Adversity | OneFootball

At the age of 17, Enrique Roca has endured his fair share of setbacks.

Two long-term injuries have disrupted the Brentford Under-18 midfielder’s early career, while release from Manchester City Academy at the age of 16 forced a fresh start.

While the first months of his Brentford tenure were interrupted by a stress fracture in his back, Roca has returned to the pitch in fine style since the new year.

While tough to be out injured when settling into a new environment, Roca said he used the turn of the new year to start fresh.

“Two training sessions into pre-season, my back went, which was obviously a killer,” he explained.

“Since pre-season, I’ve been out, all the way up to Christmas, so six months in the gym, at a new club, new area, which is obviously tough mentally and physically.

“January, I kind of got to start afresh, it was like new year, new me, because I got to come back onto the pitch and play with the team, play games, and now I’m doing well, so I’m enjoying it.”

The midfielder tallied his first 45 minutes of the season in a 2-0 loss to Ipswich Town in February, before getting his first start against Millwall a week later.

He has performed strongly ever since, scoring his first Brentford goal against Charlton Athletic in a 2-2 draw, before sending a long-range free kick into the top-right corner of the net for his second during a 5-3 win over Colchester United.

Speaking on his return, Roca said he wanted to prove to people at the club what he could do.

“It was an unbelievable feeling, obviously because of how long I’d waited to play for the club. I kind of had a lot of pressure that I put on myself to score or assist because no one had seen me play, so it was trying to show them what I’ve got,” he explained.

“In the first few games, I struggled to stay calm and just play the game, I was overthinking things. Whereas now, when I go into the games, I’m just free and can play to my best.

“As soon as I scored, a sense of relief just left me, I just felt so relieved, shoulders dropped, I felt calm, I finally settled in.”

Settling into the club was one thing, but settling into a new city has been an added challenge for Roca.

Born and raised in Manchester, the midfielder joined City’s pre-academy at the age of four, before being signed at Under-9s level.

He remained with the club until the end of his Under-16s season, when he was not offered a scholar.

“The first few days, it was a bit of a shock; obviously I’d been there for so long, so it was a shock to the system really,” explained Roca.

“As the weeks went on, I came to terms with it, and I tried to find the positives out of it.

“Dad helped me a lot because he went through the same thing… so he had experience to help me.”

A trial with Brentford and a tour to Spain with the young Bees to play Atlético Madrid and Getafe gave Roca a glimpse into life at the club and helped him decide to make the move permanently to west London.

“When I came on trial, I enjoyed it; when we went to Spain, the lads were top, I enjoyed the group, made some friends,” said Roca.

“I was nervous going out there because I didn’t know anyone but, towards the end of the trip, I thought, ‘These are nice lads’.

“It’s different to Manchester, it’s busy, London’s just mad! There are positives and negatives to it: you're always going to miss your home town, but I have enjoyed it off the pitch.”

Looking forward, more goals, more wins and exposure to the B team are what Roca is eyeing.

“Recently, I’ve scored goals, so I’m trying to keep that little run going,” he said. "I also want to try and get with the B team and see what that’s like, see if I can hold myself.

“The team’s goals are that we want to finish off the league campaign strong, try and move up a few places, and get a few more points.”