INTERVIEW: CHARLIE TAYLOR TALKS LUFC

INTERVIEW: CHARLIE TAYLOR TALKS LUFC

Player of the Year reflects on the past season and looks ahead to the next...

Player of the Year Charlie Taylor believes United have improved over the course of the season and is now setting his sights on helping the side mount a promotion push when the new campaign gets underway at the start of August.

In an extended interview with the club, the full-back reflects on his United career so far and the past season - from the lows of many long weeks sidelined with illness to ending 2015/16 with two top individual honours – as well as his aims for the future and how he hopes to see the current squad remain in place.

Saturday's 1-1 draw at Preston North End saw United end the Championship campaign in 13th position, a largely disappointing return but still two places higher than 12 months earlier and with a squad of players Charlie feels can help take the club forward.

“I think we’ve definitely improved from where we were last season,” he says. “We’ve brought some real quality players in.

“I think Woody could have easily got 20 goals if he’d have been fit all season. And Stuart Dallas in front of me has been brilliant – his work rate is outstanding.

“I feel that he brings the best out of me. He’s definitely the best player I’ve played with who’s been in front of me on the wing.”

Charlie ended the campaign with 43 appearances to his name in all competitions, a remarkable figure considering he spent the best part of two months bed-bound after coming down with a bout of glandular fever at the start of October.

It took what he describes as "a mini pre-season" to get back to full fitness but, once he did, with a new head coach in place in time for his return, Charlie played every single minute of the remainder of the campaign.

“In pre-season I just wanted play every game possible and take it one game at a time,” he says.

“I was hitting my targets but then I got ill. After that, I played every game and I’m quite pleased with that.

“I think I might be quite naturally fit but I went through a lot of work to get back up to speed after my illness.

“I went through a bit of a mini pre-season with Rushy, the fitness coach. I had to do pre-season all over again.

“I got myself back fit within about three weeks and got myself back into the team at QPR.”

As Charlie explains, despite forcing himself into the reckoning for his United debut back at the start of the 2011/12 campaign, there was a time when he feared his future may be away from Elland Road as opportunities with the senior squad became limited, prompting several loan moves in a bid to secure regular first-team football.

Reflecting on his debut, which came as a late substitute in August 2011’s League Cup victory over Bradford City, Charlie says: “I think I was 17 back then, so it’s coming up to five years ago now.

“I do feel like I’ve been here a long time and I’ve seen a lot of changes with the different managers that have come in, and players as well.

“A lot has changed but there are still a few faces who are still here.

“When I went on loan to Fleetwood and my Leeds contract was running out at the end of that season, I did think I might have to move elsewhere.

“I hadn’t played in about a year-and-a-half and I wasn’t really getting a look in.

“The promotion at Fleetwood helped massively and, as soon as Leeds offered me a new contract, it was a no-brainer to stay here.”

Charlie penned a new three-year deal at Elland Road upon his return from Fleetwood, who he helped achieve promotion from League Two during his season there, but it was an all-too-familiar story for the left-back during the opening months of the campaign as he pushed for a way into the side.

“Stephen Warnock had a great first half of last season and there always seemed to be an experienced pro in that position before then,” he explains.

“We brought in Adam Drury and Danny Pugh – there’s quite a long list. We also brought a few loanees in at left-back.

“I never really got a look in and, before I went to Fleetwood, I did think that I might have to go elsewhere to take my career on.”

Thankfully, though, the Academy graduate was eventually presented with the chance to make that position his own last January. Following Warnock’s departure to Derby County, Taylor stepped in for the FA Cup trip to Sunderland and put in a typically dependable shift against the Premier League side.

Following that Third Round tie at the Stadium of Light, he remained ever-present in the starting line-up, including an advanced stint on the left-wing, until the end of the season, firmly establishing himself among the club’s array of exciting young talent.

Charlie picked up where he left off heading into the new campaign and, despite his aforementioned spell on the sidelines with illness, capped an outstanding 2015/16 by scooping the club’s prestigious Player of the Year trophy at the recent End of Season awards night, shortly after being named the Yorkshire Evening Post's Player of the Year.

“Since my loan at Fleetwood – in the season before last – I think I’ve continued to improve,” he says.

“I think I improved in the second half of last season and then also this season. I want to carry that on and keep on improving.

“I think I’ve improved massively in the last year alone and hopefully I can keep that going and progress further next year.”

Asked about his highlight of the season, Charlie says: “My goal at MK Dons, with it being my only goal.

“Wolves away was also really good - that stands out a lot. So does Derby away – that was just a great team performance.

“We were unbeaten at the time and so were they. We went to their place and completely dominated the game.”

And Charlie’s lowlight of the season? “Brighton at half-time – it was awful.

“It was just a completely bad day at the office. It didn’t help that it was a Monday night on Sky – it was just an all-round terrible game.

“But I think we learned from that and we went on a good run after it.

“We felt sorry for the fans that had made the long journey down to Brighton. It was a horrible result and to be 4-0 down at half-time is just unacceptable.

“That definitely stands out as a low point.

“Huddersfield at home was also disappointing and so was Birmingham.

“I remember playing Birmingham, before I knew I was ill, going on and sprinting in the first five minutes and being absolutely shattered.

“I was thinking ‘what’s going on here?’ I was losing my head a bit at that and it ended up being a frustrating game as we lost that 2-0.

“I look at teams like Birmingham and think 'we have a far better team with far more quality, and we should be beating them'.”

Charlie and his team-mates will now be afforded some downtime over the summer following Saturday’s season-closing draw at Deepdale, but the full-back is already setting his targets high for the new campaign and expects to running out at Elland Road on the opening day, regardless of the inevitable transfer speculation prompted by his performances this term.

“I think everyone sees themselves here – me, Cookie, Alex and all of the senior pros,” he says.

“I like to think that everyone will still be here next year and we’ll add some quality to the squad as well.

“I know you hear it every year, but I think we can give it a real good go next year. The Play-Offs definitely aren’t out of the question.

“The season has gone quick but it is good to have a break because the Championship is a long, tough season with all of the Saturday-Tuesday games.

“I think we had about eight games in April and it does catch up with you.

“It’s good to have a little break, refuel, get the legs back and be ready to hit pre-season again.”

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