Tottenham defender Ben Davies has admitted he is relishing his position as a left-wing back in Spurs' free-flowing system with Danny Rose out injured.
Davies has been thrown in at the deep end at White Hart Lane after England left-back Rose’s knee injury, featuring in all of Spurs’ last ten games, a run of which saw him pen a new five-year contract earlier this month.
What’s more, 21-year-old Davies has once again been named in the Wales squad to face Ireland in the 2016 European Championship semi-finalists’ World Cup qualifier next week.
Taken a chance
With Spurs becoming renowned of late for their attacking full-back play, Davies has had to adapt from his more traditional role as a left-back or left-sided centre-back, especially when Mauricio Pochettino opts for a back three opposed to a more traditional 4-2-3-1 formation.
In an interview with the club’s official website, Davies said: "Defending is first and foremost for me but it’s a nice little change."
He also continued to enlighten fans about his role, saying: "It’s a lot of running, that’s what me and Trips (Kieran Trippier) had to do against Millwall and what we’ve had to do with Kyle Walker over the last couple of weeks."
However, Davies also highlighted his new attacking position, saying that it is "part and parcel of the position, trying to get forward and trying to help the team score goals" and went as far as to say that it is "what you want to be part of at the end of the day.”
'Hard work'
Davies signed for a fee of £10 million from boyhood club Swansea in 2014 and has gone on to make 79 appearances in all competitions, scoring his solitary goal in the FA Cup win over Aston Villa in January this year.
The Welshman added: “It’s hard work but it’s what you want to do as a footballer, to get as much of the ball as you can out there.”
Despite the difficult shifts, Davies admitted that it is "great" and that he "can't complain" with his brand-new role.