Sodje is pragmatic, contemplative and positive when talking about every facet of his career to date.
He is grateful for the decade spent at City, the team-mates he had, the coaches he learned from and facilities he had access to.
His upbringing in a sporting family – his father Bright spending years in rugby league’s Super League, while uncles Sam, Efe and Akpo had long careers in football – has helped him stay patiently focused on the career he is trying to build.
“He [his father Bright] is still giving me tips now,” Sodje said.
“He has done it, played rugby professionally and the discipline and hard work you need is the same in any sport if you want to get to those levels.”
Buxton is where Sodje has found a new start after a trial spell at League Two Fleetwood Town came to nothing.
Silverlands Stadium – a ground in the Derbyshire spa town penned in by a police station, terraced houses and an allotment – might not be the world-class facilities he called home at Manchester City, but he is happy there.
“Anywhere is going to be different from City,” Sodje said. “But I’m still there to play football, aren’t I? You don’t always need everything else around it.
“Even being at City for so long, with the academy side, your career only really starts in men’s football I think.
“For me, this is my next chapter, this is me starting now and it’s a fresh page.”
