Charlie Cresswell is relishing life on loan with Millwall after a solid start to the Championship campaign. He would have been forgiven for thinking that life in the second tier of English football would be a breeze after scoring a brace on his Lions debut.
However, that's not the type of character the Leeds United defender is, although admitting he needs to be more level headed. The on-loan centre-back has featured in the Championship Team of the Week despite being just two months into the season.
"The first game I scored two goals so I’m really high,” Cresswell told the Athletic. “Then the next week I make a mistake against Sheffield United and it feels like the lowest low.
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"I need to get level-headed because if I’m up too high or down too low, I’ll never be at that bar where you can live your life and enjoy it. I want to enjoy life as well as enjoy my football.
“I feel happy with how I’ve played. There were two games where I thought I should have done better but as a young player coming out on loan, I know I’ll make mistakes and I know I’ll come up against players who teach you something different.
"That’s what I need. And here (at Millwall) there’s no hiding. I wouldn’t hide anyway, I like to step into a game, but you know how it’s going to be. It’s part of why I wanted to come — to show balls and step up to the plate.”
This weekend will mark one year to the day since Marcelo Bielsa handed the youngster his first taste of Premier League football. A valuable experience but the 20-year-old is hopeful a full season will stand him in better stead.
“Last year, I played about six times,” he says. “What you’re trying to make sure is that you take your chance on that one occasion or the individual occasions.
"With this loan, you need to take your chance every single week. You need to prep your mind, your body, everything. You always have to be ready.”
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