It’s midway through our interview that Tino Anjorin’s tone briefly changes – his geniality replaced by frustration in an instant. “I hate being injured,” he says. “Absolutely hate it. Missing football, it’s the worst thing. I just want to play.”
That hasn’t happened enough this season, something Anjorin accepts. Yet it’s not for want of trying on the part of the 20-year-old. It’s why he has twice stepped away from the security of Chelsea this season.
His first loan move was to Lokomotiv Moscow; a huge step into the unknown and one that ended early due to injury. His second was completed at the end of January as Anjorin agreed to spend the remainder of the campaign at Huddersfield Town.
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The only issue was he needed to recover from the metatarsal injury he sustained in November. And that could not be rushed, despite Anjorin pushing the medical team hard at Chelsea to give him the green light to head up to West Yorkshire.
"I was battering the physios at Chelsea to let me go," the midfielder tells football.london. "I was so eager to get back, and I was hot on it every day. When I was on the verge of doing recovery work out on the pitch, I would come in with my boots on, and the physios would ask why. I always told them it was because we were going out to train, but we wouldn't because it wasn't time. I was always trying to push."
Huddersfield knew that Anjorin would need time to recover, that he wouldn't be able to join up with Carlos Corberan's squad immediately after signing with the club. It was even part of their pitch to the Chelsea academy graduate, who clubs courted across Europe and in England.
"I had a meeting, and they already had a plan for recovery from my injury," Anjorin says. "They were ready to help me get to a stage where I wouldn't be risking re-injury. They weren't going to throw me in at the deep end. So that really impressed me and was a massive factor in my decision."
Also influential was Levi Colwill, another Chelsea youngster spending this season at the John Smith's stadium. "He messaged me asking if I was coming up and told me how good it was," says Anjorin.
"That did help me a little bit with my decision. It showed me the platform that they gave players and that there was individual work that was focused on by the coaches. You see they've helped him improve and made him better, and I hope they can do the same with me."
Anjorin wasn't given the all-clear to join up with the Huddersfield squad until the beginning of March. As a result, it would have certainly been easy for him to view the loan as something of a short-term fix ahead of the summer transfer window. Instead, he has thrown himself into life in West Yorkshire. The England Under-20 international has rented a flat on the outskirts of the town and has enjoyed meeting those supporters who are desperate for their side to make a return to the Premier League.
"It's been really good," he says. "All the players and staff – everyone involved in the club – have been really friendly. They were excited for me to join and welcomed me with open arms. Even in the town and area, everyone is friendly up here. It's a bit different to what I'm used to in London.
"I went to watch a game after I signed – Stoke at home – and we played really well. I could see that it was the type of football that I wanted to play, and that impressed me. I also got to see what the atmosphere was like inside the stadium, and it was incredible. Crazy really.
"They were so passionate. I also went to Fulham away and was surprised by just how many travelled, especially as that storm [Storm Franklin] was the day before. So I felt as a club and with the supporters, I was going to get everything I needed."
Anjorin has made four first-team appearances for Huddersfield thus far. All have come from the substitutes' bench. For his last start, you have to go all the way back to the end of October and his loan at Lokomotiv Moscow. That was a switch that surprised many, especially as it was Anjorin's first taste of senior football outside of the Chelsea bubble. Yet convinced by Ralf Rangnick to join his project in the Russian capital, Anjorin made the leap.
There would only be nine appearances before injury struck. But two of those came in the Europa League. In the first, at home to Marseille, Anjorin scored an 89th-minute equaliser. It was his first professional goal. "I came on, and we were behind and down to ten men. So it was a difficult situation. But I got that goal, and it was a really special feeling for me. I couldn't quite believe it.
"Then we went to Lazio, and that was really tough. It was my first start in about ten months, so that was a big challenge in itself. When I went to Lokomotiv, much like now, I had to try to build up my match fitness and just as I felt strong and ready, I got the injury."
Anjorin undertook his recovery back at Chelsea, and in January – with Rangnick now in interim charge of Manchester United – it was agreed between club and player that the loan should be cut short. Anjorin has no regrets, however.
"It was completely different: a new city, culture, lifestyle. It certainly mixed things up, which I like – moving to a new country is one of the least boring things you could do," he says. "I threw myself in at the deep end: different language, city, I didn't know a single person. That was something I had to get on with and learn from. It helped me mature.
"Coming up to Huddersfield, it's been a lot easier. I knew Jon Russell, who was at Chelsea, Levi, Jamal [Blackman], so it's been a lot easier. I've got friends up here that can help me out and make sure I'm settled."
Huddersfield are next in action on Monday night when they face Luton Town. The Terriers are fourth in the table, but with six games of the campaign remaining, their place in the play-offs is far from assured. Important wins are still required.
Anjorin hopes to play his part, to make a difference to Huddersfield's promotion push. He doesn't just want to be a talented spectator. "When I've come on so far, we've been trying to win, so maybe we're going a little more direct, or we're sitting back a bit and making sure we see out the game.
"So I've not had the full Championship experience, but all the games have been exciting, tight and close. Really competitive. The promotion push is tight, and there is a lot of pressure, but I love that because it only makes you a better person and player. It's a good pressure.
"It's an exciting end to the season for sure. Of course, I hope I can have an impact in every single game and help the club. That's why I joined."
