Arsenal defender Ben White is still highly thought of at former club Newport County.
The teenage centre-back, who has since blossomed into an England international and £50m signing for Arsenal, was thrown in at the deep end.
"The manager was telling us that we had a young lad coming in who was going to be the next big thing," says Mark O'Brien, the former Newport defender, to BBC Sport.
"We had high enough expectations for him, but you don't know how someone's going to react to League Two when they're only a youngster.
"It's a very physical league, but he took to it so well. He was blocking shots and enjoying defending, but also showing his own qualities by being good on the ball. He looked like a complete player. You just knew, there and then, that he was going on to bigger and better things."
His debut came away to Southend United in the EFL Cup. They fielded a streetwise strike partnership of Theo Robinson and Simon Cox, but White was unflustered as Newport secured a 2-0 win.
From then on, he became an automatic starter for Michael Flynn's side.
"You could trust him," says O'Brien. "Normally, you feel like you have to coach young lads through games and speak to them a lot. But he grew and grew the more he played and started to showcase what he was all about. Ben looked after himself. He became a very good team-mate and a very good friend."