Dan Ballard says training alongside Brazilian star David Luiz at Arsenal made him realise what it takes to succeed in football.
Northern Ireland defender Ballard admits he was a "late developer" in terms of size and speed. He wasn't your archetypal centre-half when he was 18 years of age.
Now 22, Ballard continues to mature into an exciting talent.
Read more: Lee Harkin ends whirlwind week with first senior Wolves outing in Faro
He sealed a move to Sunderland this summer, and has started to cement his presence in the heart of Ian Baraclough's Northern Ireland defence.
Speaking to SunSport, Ballard says he quickly realised the importance of hard work during his time at Arsenal.
“The biggest thing I learned at Arsenal was hard work because I was never the best player in my age group or the one who they thought would go on and make a good career. They drilled into me that I had to work the hardest, respect the coaches, listen and learn," he said.
“You of course learn football but I also learned about resilience too. Naturally I like hard work. That comes easier to me than some people and that’s perhaps because football has never been easy for me, it’s always been tough.
"So I’ve had to work hard otherwise I’d not be in the position I am today. As I was growing up in the younger age groups, I was a late developer. Even at 18, I still wasn’t a centre-back because I wasn’t tall enough.
“I was one of the slowest, couldn’t move my legs and I wasn’t a technically gifted player. Yet I’ve always been naturally good at defending but compared to the other lads with the ball I was always below the curve whereas now my body is stronger, I feel comfortable on the ball and all that work at Arsenal has worked out better in the long run.
“I don’t feel below the curve or as though I’m the one struggling — but rather that I can make a major impact.”
Ballard remembers the brilliance of Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil during his time at Arsenal. He briefly got to learn under the guidance of Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.
And he recalls how Brazilian defender Luiz was on a different level when it came to technical ability.
He said: “I did four or five sessions while Wenger was around. Even though I was only used as a training player, it’s great to be able to always say I trained under him.
“I was blown away by how good Wilshere and Ozil were — they were on another planet and they just seemed world beaters to a youngster like me.
“Luiz was someone I was particularly taken aback by in terms of how good he was on the ball and the style of play he had. It made me understand how far away I was to that level and how hard I had to work.”
READ NEXT:
- NI star Stuart Dallas gives Leeds United fans a lift with surprise tunnel appearance
-
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe offers upbeat opinion on Jamal Lewis' future
-
West Ham United fans liken Callum Marshall's summer goal spree to City star Erling Haaland
-
Coleraine confirm deals for Cliftonville pair in double swoop
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
