There is a very pertinent question towards the end of Aaron Connolly’s honest, tough, almost therapeutic interview at Sunderland.

That is the interview where he says he lost his way as soon as he burst on to the scene with two goals against Tottenham.

The one where he says he was not good company for his family and friends.

That he became addicted to alcohol, looking forward to the post-match drinks more than the match itself.

Where he tells of the support he received from Liam Rosenior at Hull.

And how he checked into a clinic this summer, helped by the PFA, and told his agent not to bother finding him a new football club for the time being.

The question was: Why tells us this now?

Connolly, 24, says he has spoken out because he wants to help others, show what can be done, that there is hope and a way out of a dark place.

And I do not doubt that is true. It is a noble reason and, if he can help others as a relatively well-known person in his sphere, why not?

One also wonders if there is an element of asking for his performances to be judged in context.

And even of taking away the hiding place in case he is tempted to slip up again. Be honest. Get his story out there so others will be on watch.

Whatever was behind it, it was interesting viewing and confirms what I think was becoming apparent, bit by bit, after those two goals v Spurs on full debut.

He took his eye off the ball.

Let's go back to that game first. It was a hugely memorable afternoon, one of the best the Amex has staged, and we reflected on it when the anniversary passed last weekend.

In the interview, Connolly said: “I remember it, 5th of October 2019, 12.30 kick-off. I’m never going to forget that day.

“It was one of the best days of my life but also one of the worst because the following five years was from that.

“I started to believe the hype. I didn’t turn into a good person after that.

“I was tough to be around. No one could tell me anything.

“I had done it all myself, nobody else had helped me get to where I got to. That’s what I believed. It’s obviously not true.

“I started to like the life of a footballer without the football side of it and that was hardest bit to admit at the time.

“It hurts to look back and speak about it.

“If I had done everything right, maybe I would still be in the Premier League, maybe I wouldn’t.

“But at least I’d know that I gave it everything I could to stay at that level.”

Connolly’s performances did not drop off a cliff. I still recall him not long after that Spurs game causing Virgil Van Dijk problems at Anfield.

And the Holland defender getting a couple of very favourable refereeing decisions in his favour after the Irish teen had embarrassed him bearing down on the Kop.

But the excitement about Connolly went back further than that.

A League Cup goal at Bristol Rovers and post-match questions to Glenn Murray about how good he could be.

And before that. To the maligned Checkatrade Trophy, when he was coming through with players such as Ben White and Viktor Gyokeres.

He scored a goal at Peterborough on a Tuesday night which was then copied almost exactly before 30,000 for his second against Spurs.

There was a superb, predator’s hat-trick in a 3-2 win at MK Dons in the final group game.

The other result in the group that night meant Albion narrowly missed out on qualifying.

As he stood there after an interview, matchball in his hand, he didn’t look pleased about his own feats.

He was annoyed because the team didn’t go through.

I wrote at the time that his reaction showed a great attitude.

He was hungry. Striving for more. But, as he says now, he lost that.

He said in his Sunderland interview: “I just stopped doing the things that got me to that position, where I felt so comfortable on the biggest stage.

“I just stopped working hard and you can’t do it.

“People always say hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard and I never really thought about it.

“But it’s true and in my case it was.

“I think a lot of people would say, ‘He is arrogant, a waste of potential’.

“I’d also like to think they would say a goalscorer as well but I’m not too sure there’s many that will have too many positive things to say.

“People who are close to me know what I’m like and that’s the main thing.

“But I know the perception of me isn’t the best.

“It was obvious I had a problem with alcohol for a good few years. It just became something I relied on.

“My buzz used to come from playing football and winning games and scoring goals.

“It got to a point where the buzz was more from drinking alcohol than going out on a football pitch.

“I used to look forward to the games finishing so I could go and have a drink, go and socialise.

“Socialise I say, but it wasn’t. It was an excuse to go and get drunk.”

So what now? In those early days, Connolly felt a bit like Albion’s Wayne Rooney story.

He was electric. He buzzed around and scored different types of goals.

He looked a bit like a young Rooney, too, and had that same kid-in-the-street tenacity.

He could have been just what Albion needed in that period when they played great football but could not finish.

When they became the kings of xG.

If he now goes on to re-ignite his career and score goals, even returns to the Premier League, there might be a feel of what might have been. Maybe.

Albion gave him a great stage and he did not make the most of it or fulfil his side of the bargain.

But it would still be good to see him shine.

The cards are on the table. It feels like Sunderland might just be his last chance do what we thought he would.

And there is a cautionary tale or two there as well for those following him at Lancing.

That cautionary tale, and a great afternoon against Spurs, are currently his Albion legacy.