Just as George Tanner was well on the road to becoming a bona fide Championship-level right-back, not one but two hamstring injuries curtailed his development. And now, having worked his way back to full fitness after a significant absence, the 22-year-old has to deal with the fact his speciality position no longer exists in Nigel Pearson’s preferred system.
It may not have seemed it, given how quickly he initially adapted to life at Ashton Gate, but Tanner’s first 12 months as a Robin have been a relentless challenge, and one that has taken on a slightly different turn.
Signed towards the end of the summer window 2021, Tanner was initially viewed as something of a long-term project for Pearson who said at the time of his arrival: “Our Academy is excellent in producing players capable of making the progression to the first team arena preferably with us, but it is also important to look for players for the future from elsewhere too.”
Yet with right-back options thin as Danny Simpson looked increasingly unsuited to the rigours of the Championship, while Zak Vyner was required more as a centre-back, he was thrust into action just over two weeks after his transfer from Carlisle United.
Full of youthful exuberance, in what at that time was a slightly one-paced and predictable City team who were grinding out results, Tanner’s fearsome tackling enlivened the Ashton Gate crowd, putting blood back into their veins.
Unfortunately a first hamstring injury in November kept him out of the side for five weeks and then when he returned the following month, he lasted 58 minutes at Hull City before sustaining another hamstring issue in his next game, at home to QPR - this one keeping him on the sidelines for considerably longer.
During that time, City evolved into a rapid and multi-faceted attacking unit, playing on the counter and with Pearson now wedded to a 3-4-1-2, albeit with Alex Scott not a wing-back in the purest sense, able to attack his full-back and drive to the byline.
With Tanner out of action, there was no room to experiment with the Manchester United academy graduate in there and by the time he returned again in May, the name “Kane Wilson” had been reverberating around the recruitment room at the High Performance Centre for several months, given City’s lack of a right-sided wing-back.
But Tanner is resourceful and knows what lies ahead for him. Where he’s used to playing is in systems Pearson is only likely to use as a back-up, or during an in-game switch to counteract the opposition. For the 22-year-old to play, he has to become something new. Exactly like it was for him in August last year, making the step up two divisions with the season already seven-games deep as he made his debut away at QPR.
“I’ve not played wing-back too many times in my career so far,” he said. “But I’m adapting to it, it’s giving me a bit more freedom to get up and down the pitch; trying to score goals, assists - something I’m trying to add to my game.
“I think in that position you can take more risks. As a full-back, I tend to play with less risk but it’s something I’m trying to improve on and the coaching staff are giving me all the advice they can give, to help me improve.
“It’s about instincts but also positional. As a full-back, I always want to tuck myself into the centre-halves but playing wing-back, you need to be more aggressive, on the front foot, ready to press their full-back or wingers. And it’s about trusting your right-sided centre-half to cover the channel. As a full-back you’re always in charge of that channel but as a wing-back, you can share the ownership on it a little bit.
“It’s a challenge but I’ve got all the help and support I could possibly have; it’s a great training ground, the coaches and the team are always wanting to learn and adapt everyday. I’m always wanting to learn as well.”
On the logical assumption that Pearson will continue to roll with the wing-back system, there is only one place in the side for Tanner or his new colleague and chief competition, Wilson.
City could switch to a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 and have Tanner deeper, with Wilson pushed into a right-wing berth but that’s a set-up that’s more likely to develop over the course of the campaign, rather than the blueprint to be ripped up and re-written, barely two weeks out for the start of the season.
In very crude terms, you could assess Wilson as the more obviously attack-minded of the duo, whereas Tanner is a greater defensive presence - although we’re yet to see the former Forest Green star in that sort of scenario, so it is too quick to judge.
However, what is clear is that having that competition between two very talented young players, gives Pearson options, flexibility and should drive both on to try and improve.
“Kane’s done great so far, in pre-season and the games that he’s played,” Tanner added. “He’s obviously an attacking full-back, but this season we can both push each other as much as we can. He’s come in, showed real promise but, if anything, it pushed me on - we’re both competing but we can both learn off of each other.”
Tanner was speaking after City’s 0-0 pre-season draw with Portsmouth at a humid HPC in which he played 50 minutes - the most he’s had in a game since that 1-1 draw at Hull on December 11.
He admits the summer period has allowed him to “push himself” in helping drive his fitness levels up. Something that players find hard during the thrust of a campaign due to the game-rest-recover-train-prepare-game schedule of the Championship, particularly towards the conclusion of every season.
“I’m feeling loads better. I found it hard at the end of last year to get back up to speed after being out for 3-4 months, it’s hard to build that fitness up in the middle of the season but now, once I’ve had this pre-season, I’m feeling a lot fitter, a lot sharper,” Tanner said.
“In pre-season you’re just able to push yourself a bit more; when you’re mid-season, you can’t push yourself because you have games in between and you need to be fresh for the games. Whereas now, you can push yourself to the limit without worrying about the games coming up.
“We had a really good week in Austria, in the heat, and that’s really helped me,” he adds, looking slightly nervously proud when it’s put to him he’s looking a little more muscular as he prepares for his second campaign as a Robin.
“The lads in the gym are always trying to improve our power and athleticism. I can’t really say I’ve personally worked on it but I have been in the gym a lot, trying to get ready for the start of the season. But I’m feeling good,” he adds.
“For me, I just want to improve on last year. I had a good little spell at the start of last season but the injury really impacted me. So I think the main thing for me is trying to be as fit as possible and try and be available for every single game, because the Championship is such a long, hard season, I just want to give myself the best chance.”
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