Ex Leeds United winger on his son's Thorp Arch progress, 'Uncle Ronaldinho' and Marcelo Bielsa's influence

His dad was a footballer, who used a release clause in his Brighton contract to accept an offer from Leeds United.

Seb Carole’s decision to leave the south coast for West Yorkshire brought him a ‘positive experience’ during one of the club’s most turbulent periods.

Relegation from the Championship, administration, a host of managerial changes and a League One campaign that almost ended in glory despite a 15-point deduction all took place in the French winger’s two-and-a-half-year stint.

“The time I had at Leeds was up and down. A lot of managers, but on the pitch it was so great, the relationship with the fans, the togetherness we had after the deduction, it was fantastic,” he told the YEP.

“I had a great time at Leeds, I met fantastic people, fantastic players and team-mates and learned a lot.

“I take it as a positive experience because while people will say my time at Leeds was short lived, sometimes it doesn’t matter how long you stay at a club, it’s about the experience you had with the club and people.”

His time at Leeds came to an end in 2008 and he went on to feature for Darlington, Brighton twice more and Tranmere, but he and his family settled in the region and still live in Wetherby.

“We love it here,” he said.

“The area we live in is just great. We had a big decision to make in 2010, whether we should go back to France or stay and settle here.

“For the sake of the kids we decided to stay. We have three boys, they were in English education and we thought it was better to stay.”

Aaron arrived a year after they first moved to Wetherby and youngest Timéo is six.

Keenan is now 16. He is a footballer, for Leeds United.

“Keenan has always loved football,” said Seb.

“I used to make him believe Ronaldinho was my brother. I would sit him down in front of the laptop when he 12 months old, to watch Ronaldinho, ‘Uncle Ronny’ he would say.”

Seb, laughing, says he told the teen the truth a few months ago. If watching clips of a Brazilian superstar sparked Keenan’s interest, a Leeds stalwart of the 70s and 80s fanned it into flames.

Arthur Graham ran a football camp in Wetherby and wanted Carole junior to sign up, even though he wasn’t quite old enough.

Keenan then played for local side Kirk Deighton Rangers, before Leeds United’s academy acted on Graham’s recommendation and invited the youngster to train with their shadow squad. At nine, they signed him.

It’s a proud moment for any parent, even one who has first-hand knowledge of the game and how difficult it is to turn talent into a career.

“Leeds United are such a big club,” said Seb. “I played there and at the time I knew everyone there and it’s local – the training ground is only five minutes from where we live, why should we go elsewhere?

“It could give him the platform to go wherever he wants, so it was an easy decision.”

In August last year Keenan was given a two-year scholarship deal.

Perhaps unsurprisingly he’s a winger, like his dad. Both nature and nurture have had their way.

“I helped him on the technical side of the game, since he was little, his first touch, getting good composure on the ball because I wanted him to be a skilful player going forward, not scared to take people on. That was my game. I think I was a good dribbler but I want him to be even better and I think he will.”

Despite Seb’s obvious desire to see his son follow in his footsteps, he insists there is no shadow looming over Keenan.

“I had a great experience, I had a great career but I’m not Zinedine Zidane or Thierry Henry so Keenan doesn’t have to carry a big name and I think that helps a lot,” he said.

“He doesn’t have to live in a shadow. I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions and can use my experience to advise him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to make decisions but because of what I think I’ve done wrong, he can probably have a better assessment and it can help him develop as a player and a person.”

Seb looks back fondly on his own experiences but in the cold light of modern day he can see that he didn’t get the balance between enjoyment and focus quite right, contenting himself with nutmegging defenders.

“I wasn’t looking to be efficient every time, to work on my stats,” he said.

“Nowadays you need to be more than that, you need to be focused because all the players will work hard and know what to do to get in front of you. It’s a team sport but an individual career.

“Keenan has to enjoy it first, the passion has to be there if he wants a long and successful career, but he has to be focused.

“We’re trying to make him aware of that more so now he’s an Under-18s player.”

The proximity of the Carole home to Thorp Arch allows Keenan to live with his parents instead of a host family.

Football dominates around the dinner table, where Keenan talks to his brothers in English and his parents in French and mum Sabrina jokes that after 20 years following Seb, she can’t believe there may be another 20 following Keenan.

They are keen to keep things as normal as possible, however, for now.

“We’re quite happy that we live local,” said Seb.

“He’s got his brothers, his social life, everything I didn’t have at Monaco because I moved away from home at 14. It keeps him grounded and down to earth.

“We teach him no matter what happens in life, family comes first and football second. Football will be the most important thing in his life until he has a family but he has to know that family comes first.”

The Leeds United Seb played for is a far cry from the club Keenan calls home.

Marcelo Bielsa has led the club back to the Premier League and his influence saturates the organisation.

He helped pave the way for Category One status in the academy, benefiting Keenan and his fellow hopefuls.

“It’s unbelievable what they’ve achieved,” said Seb.

“The Premier League is great but there’s a Cat 1 academy now and they’ve got to play against the best academies in the country. I think it’s great, the better the players you play against, the better chance you get to improve. It’s great for the kids.

“It’s very exciting and having Bielsa as a manager is great. He brings visibility to the club worldwide. Three Mondays in a row they did a special show about him in France, it was great to watch.

“The history he brings, the demanding and special football he likes to play, you can tell from the media that Leeds is a bit of a sensation at the minute.”

As an ex White and the father of a prospect, Seb hopes Bielsa sticks around a lot longer.

His greater hope is that Keenan will one day play for the Argentine in the famous white shirt.

“Now he’s on a scholarship, the game is getting serious and he needs to get his head to it,” said Seb. “He’s aware how tough the football industry is. He knows it’s difficult, he knows it.

He’s a good boy, he’s working hard.

“He’s high potential and if he carries on he’ll go far, I think.”