REGRETS, he’s had a few. But Tyrone Mings would still do it his way.

The Cherries defender has had an unconventional route to the top, overcoming hardship, serious injury – and his fair share of job rebuffs along the way.

Rejected by a host of clubs during his formative years, Mings was finally rewarded for his persistence when he won his first professional contract with Ipswich in December 2012.

The preceding years and those which followed were eventful – with Mings succinctly describing his journey as “crazy”.

Mings, who this week signed a new four-year contract with Cherries, certainly breaks the mould of the perceived stereotypical Premier League footballer.

A fascinating CV includes giving up work as a field sales agent after one day, training with Gareth Bale, failing an interview with Comet and pulling pints at the White Hart Inn near Chippenham.

But one of the most defining moments was the career-threatening knee injury he suffered just six minutes into his Premier League debut with Cherries two years ago.

Just weeks after his then-club record £8million move from Ipswich, Mings tore anterior and medial ligaments – and feared his fairytale may have an unhappy ending.

Mings told the Daily Echo: “I remember waking up from the first operation, looking at the state of my knee and thinking ‘this is never, ever going to get better’.

“It felt like it had been sawn in half and just Sellotaped back together.

“I ended up going into hospital three times to have corrections and more operations. The first five months were very bad and a very dark time for me.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think I would ever make a full recovery. To be in the position I’m in now is full credit to everybody around me – family, friends and different people who helped me. Everyone from medical staff to psychologists. It was a collective effort.”

Coming so soon after his arrival, Mings admitted his predicament had made it even more difficult for him to settle at his new club: “There were lot of times when I wasn’t settled off the pitch.

“I had just moved to a new area and it was difficult to adapt to the club. The team had just been promoted and it was tough to integrate myself into such a close-knit group.

“It was difficult for me to see how I was ever going to fit in. The team had done so well and although the manager showed a lot of faith in me, there was nothing I could do.

“I was almost Bournemouth’s number one fan for the year and spent a lot of time thinking I could have played six minutes in the Premier League and been back in the Championship if things hadn’t gone to plan.

“What kept me going was the goal. I have worked very hard to get to the Premier League and it hasn’t been an easy journey for me or my family. I just kept that in my mind.”

Released by Southampton at 15 for being too small to be a defender, Mings enrolled on a football scholarship at Millfield School in Somerset following a series of unsuccessful trials.

He then started playing for Yate Town in the Southern League – and started applying for full-time jobs.

“I got a job in Bristol as a field sales agent but didn’t really know what it would entail,” said Mings. “I presumed it would be a sales job and shadowed a couple of people on the first day.

“We left the office, got on a bus and went to Tesco to get some lunch. We were on the streets all day trying to book appointments for people to get their insulation done on a new government scheme. I lasted one day!

“I tried to get a job in Comet and my local One Stop but they both said I didn’t have enough experience.

“I got a job in a pub over Christmas and met some really cool people. Then, I became a mortgage advisor and really enjoyed it.

“Until I signed my first pro contract, I’d had a rounded experience and a lot of disappointments and setbacks.

“I finally got a break when Ipswich signed me. One Saturday I was playing for Chippenham against Stourbridge, the next I was in the Ipswich squad at Leeds.

“I had to overcome a lot to get there and there was more to come with the injury.

“It has been a crazy journey but one I wouldn’t change for the world. The skills I’ve learned and the people I’ve met have given me a rounded knowledge of life.

“If anybody offered me this over the academy system, I would always choose my way.”