Kane Vincent-Young says he is 'relearning' his role under Ipswich Town manager Paul Cook.
The right-back caught the eye following his £100k switch from League Two side Colchester United in 2019, but then adductor surgery and a string of subsequent injury set-backs saw him sidelined for the best part of a year and a half.
With five appearances under his belt since last month's long-awaited comeback, the 25-year-old's style looks to be the perfect match for a Cook - a manager who has always favoured marauding full-backs.
"If you look at the full-backs he has worked with in the past, I know two who are now playing in the Premier League (Enda Stevens at Sheffield United and Antonee Robinson at Fulham), so for me it’s about trying to soak up as much information as possible, learning from what he is saying and trying to deliver exactly what he wants and expects of me," said Vincent-Young.
“He wants his full-backs to be expansive, which suits me, and I’ve never been somebody that tries to rein himself in.
“It can be a problem sometimes – almost all or nothing – but I’m of the opinion that if you’re out there you have to give it your all, no half measures.
“It’s just a case of grasping the new manager’s ideas because they are different.
“In an early session I was doing something and he wanted me to do the opposite, so it has almost been a case of unlearning to relearn.
"It’s about adapting, picking up the ideas and investing in what he is doing. He has done it with teams in the past and it has got him success."
Vincent-Young, who is one of just 12 current first team players under contract beyond the end of this season, continued: “I can’t wait for a full pre-season training programme when we report back. It has been so long since I’ve done it.
“I think it will be a case of looking after myself in the off season, making sure my body is right and then coming in to enjoy a full pre-season.
“From past experience a full pre-season invariably leads to a good season and that’s what I am hoping for."
He added: "I’ll take it as a positive if people are expecting big things of me and I will try to rise to the challenge.
“I’d rather that situation than if they were thinking negatively of me. For me it’s just about going out there and enjoying it because I tend to play well when I’m enjoying what I am doing. I’ll be looking to show why they expect so much of me.
“My mindset all along has been to not try to ease myself into it. The only way to do it, and especially for the new manager, is to show I am still the player I have always been."
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