Leeds United midfielder Jamie Shackleton has spoken about how his loan spell at Championship club Millwall has been great for his career.
The 23-year-old has been on loan at The Den since July and has made 33 appearances in all competitions for the Lions alongside fellow Whites loanee Charlie Cresswell.
But having lived his entire life in Yorkshire, adapting to life down in the capital was a worrying prospect for the youngster, who was delighted to travel back up to see his family and friends during the international break.
"If we get a couple of days off, more often than not, I’ll get myself back up there and go and see everybody that I need to see," Shackleton said to Southwark News.
Read more: Leeds United loan round-up: Cody Drameh stars for Luton Town as host of Whites feature
"Coming down, I was a bit nervous. It was my first time away from living in Yorkshire, but I realised pretty quickly that I was going to enjoy it here. I think I’ve settled into being here and living around here quite a lot."
Having started ten of their first 11 matches, Shackleton's start to life at The Den was going well until manager Gary Rowett switched from a back five to a 4-2-3-1, a move which saw him often limited to appearances off the bench.
In recent weeks though, Shackleton found a string of starts following an injury to George Saville, showing that he's been keeping the faith in himself and his team as they push for the playoff positions.
"As a player, the main thing that you want to do is play football and play as much football as possible. That’s in games especially, that’s the main thing. That’s the part that everybody sees.
"I had to stay patient and wait for opportunities and take them when they come. Billy has been key to a large part of where we are this season. Whilst he’s been injured, it’s important that we don’t stop playing the way that we want to play and that we continue that momentum that we built up beforehand.
"I think we’ve done that over the last couple of months. We’ve been able to keep ourselves or even put ourselves in a better position than we were going into the last couple of months."
The 23-year-old also admitted that he was originally anxious about the move to London, but understands how valuable it's been for him as a player before he returns to Leeds.
"I was a bit nervous about it all and I didn’t really know what to expect," Shackleton said. "Within the first couple of weeks, I realised that it was a great place. That’s sort of what I expected, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen to come down here. It met my expectations and more. It’s a great club. The lads are great and the fans are very passionate."
READ NEXT:
Arsenal dressing room sees Leeds United's false league position and out-of-control afternoon
Fantastic Leeds United statistic reveals Javi Gracia dressing room culture spreading onto pitch
Leeds United fans call upon manager Javi Gracia to make big tactical change ahead of Arsenal clash
Leeds United could unleash new attacking outlet and make an easy improvement vs Arsenal
Leeds United told to expect 'blinkered approach' from Arsenal but key Gunners weakness highlighted
