I want to improve as a football player, but even more importantly, I really want to improve as a person.
I didn't like it as a player when I felt a coach was fudging the reasons for leaving me out. As a player, I wanted to know where I was lacking in my game and where I could improve in order to get back in the team.
I still want to improve in every way. I'm a young player. I want to work, and that's my aim: to improve in every single aspect of my play.
When you're younger, it's about, 'How can I get better? How can I become the player that I want to be?' As you get older, it's, 'How can this football team improve?' While all along getting better along the way.
When you're younger, it's about 'How can I get better? How can I become the player that I want to be?' As you get older, it's 'How can this football team improve?' While all along getting better along the way.
I always talk about being a team player, I think I'm really good team player. I was a big voice in the changing room before games and nothing really changed for me.
I just don't want my offense to carry over to my defense. I want to help the team win and be a team player.
I think winning a championship, for me, it put things in perspective. You can either be a great player on a so-so team, or you can be a role player on a championship team, or, in an extreme case, a great player on a championship team.
I've been the best player on every team that I played on, so if I can't be the poster child of your team, then what else is it? It's got to be a black-white issue. Every white player I know who's the best player on their team is the poster child of that team.
I don't like it when a player says, 'I like freedom; I want to play for myself.' Because the player has to understand he is part of a team with 10 other players. If everyone wants to be a jazz musician, it will be chaos. They will not be a team, and nothing will be possible.
I think the only thing that matters is you win as a team and you lose as a team. And so the team needs to understand that no one player is bigger than any other player. Everybody has a role... Every single role is important.
If a player is trying to intimidate a skilled player on your team, what do we want? We want our skilled players playing, so we shouldn't be doing that.
Of course team spirit and team's strategy matters more than anything else as far as the team is concerned. As far as I am concerned, if the presence of one player is affecting the morale or the spirit of the team, then we might as well rest that player for a while.
Being that team player, all of my thoughts are about the team. What can I do for the team?
I think that the problem for any player you want to select for England, not just in isolation, is that it'll be a concern if that player doesn't play for his team.
Every player has their challenge to help the team. They all have a challenge individually and collectively to improve.