“It’s been a very strange season for me, honestly,” he told Premier League Productions, after starting eight games so far this season. “I missed a lot of pre-season. I missed [lost] my father at the beginning of the season.
“It was a very difficult and strange situation for me. I tried to put myself in the best shape and the best way for the team. I’m trying honestly to be focused. I’m always there for the team.
“At the minute, the manager is using other players. As a captain, when you go through difficult situations you need to be strong enough and show an example for the other boys. They are looking at you.
“It’s important because in the future someone else could be in a similar position to myself at the moment. So in my head, it is to do every single training [session] properly, do my best and give a good example to my teammates, because I have to be the first one to give a good example, especially in tough moments.”