Look for other stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasising about film or sports icons finds a place.

• Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.

• Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.

• If he “keeps his head on his shoulders.”

• On Saturday “they made their weekly pilgrimage” to the United.

• She saw… him ghost past the lumbering defenders.

Pick out five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used in this sense.

Notice these words in the story.

• “chuffed”, meaning delighted or very pleased

• “nosey”, meaning inquisitive

• “gawky”, meaning awkward, ungainly.

These are words that are used in an informal way in colloquial speech.

Make a list of ten other words of this kind.

– Think of a person who you would like to have as your role model.

– Write down the points to be discussed or questions to be asked, if you were asked to interview that person on a television show.