Alex Pritchard has revealed moving to Huddersfield Town in January has helped develop his defensive game and the start of his career at the John Smith's Stadium has been a "whirlwind."

The 24-year-old joined from Norwich City for a fee of £8m last month and has been speaking about how important it was to escape parent club Tottenham Hotspur and opening his Premier League account.

First goal in front of family "brilliant"

Pritchard's goal in the 4-1 win against AFC Bournemouth earlier on in the month was his first for Huddersfield in the top-flight.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Terriers' 2-1 triumph at West Bromwich Albion last weekend, he said: "[My goal against Bournemouth] was a big weight off my shoulders.

"My family, girlfriend and Nan were in the stands and obviously when I scored I saw them. But, when I was a young kid I always dreamt of playing in the Premier League and to score my first goal is brilliant."

Asked about the early days of his career and frustrating loan spells he endured before being sold by Spurs, Pritchard explained the pressure he was under to succeed at Brentford.

"It was a crucial period in my career. If you go there and don't do it, there's question marks. Thankfully I went there and did what I had to do."

On his White Hart Lane departure: "I think a lot of young lads will [struggle for game time] at big clubs like Spurs and Dele Alli, when he came in and the way they just hit the heights, you can't do anything.

"You've got to hold your hands up, it's been brilliant and, for myself, I wasn't getting any younger so I needed to go and play football elsewhere to get to the top again."

A "whirlwind" start to life in Huddersfield

Pritchard realised his dream to play in the Premier League on 12 January when he was announced as a Huddersfield Town player, and he believes the move has already made a positive impact on his game.

On his time so far: "It's been a bit of a whirlwind, to be fair. It's been so quick and obviously getting thrown into the games straight away has been good for me, it's obviously a learning curve."

The Orsett-born playmaker highlighted his defensive ability as most improved, stating: "I think the defensive side of my game already - I've only been here for about a month or so - has come on massively.

"To shut down or just not switch off at any moment, you can defend all game but then you're not going to really create chances or score goals."