Umar Nawaz was just seven years old when his world was turned upside down by a deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan.
Umar thought he was "dreaming" after hearing his big brother Haris was among the 141 killed by the Pakistan Taliban in the Army Public School massacre in Peshawar on 16 December 2014.
His other older brother, Ahmad, was shot in the arm, leaving him with an injury requiring emergency surgery.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, the 6ft 3in (191cm) striker says: "We had to come to the UK for his treatment and from there we thought the UK was the best place to stay.
"I didn't think Pakistan was safe to go back to."
