By Tottenham Hotspur
How has it been for you at Spurs?
I’ve been enjoying my time here. I am playing week in week out which is the most important thing for me and I am learning in training and in games. I think that is the most important thing for me as a young player, to keep learning and keep improving as a player.
You signed for Spurs as a teenager, was your young age a problem at the time?
I am not too sure. I had one or two injuries when I was younger. I had a little problem with my foot and then my knee. It took a bit of time to get going but as soon as I got a run in the team and got my chance I started to prove what I was about. Hopefully I can keep doing that and keep improving to get even better.
Did you ever doubt yourself?
I never really had any doubt to be honest. When I first joined Spurs I started well but then I got an injury after about 10 games, which wasn’t good, and I think it altered my progress. It wasn’t nice being on the sidelines at such a young age but I think I learnt from that experience. I have brought that into my game and now I cherish the game even more. When you are out injured it is the worst thing, you just don’t realise how much football means to you. It is great to be part of this team and hopefully I can continue to do that.
Do you prefer playing left-back or left midfield?
I am an attacking player. At the moment I am enjoying playing left midfield and getting on the end of crosses and contributing to the team but if I am asked to play left-back then I still enjoy that as much. You obviously don’t get as much licence to get forward but I enjoy both positions in different ways.
Both games against Inter Milan were great for different reasons, do you think both of those games were confirmation of you on the world stage?
I just went out on to the pitch and did my best as I do in every game. I think in those games I just got a little bit better. My confidence was high anyway and I had been doing well in previous games. I just went out on to the pitch and did the best I could and tried to enjoy myself. It is always nice to play well and be on the winning team or score a hat-trick, which I was lucky to do and now I just want to keep doing the same.
Was it the best half you have ever played when you scored your hat-trick?
I think it is definitely up there. Hopefully I can keep doing that in the future, keep improving as a player and getting better.
What are your thoughts on the return game against AC Milan here in London?
I think everybody knows how good a team Milan are. They are not top of the league for nothing. We know it is going to be a very difficult game but we are all confident that we can beat anybody at home. We have to go into the game with that confidence, not being too arrogant or overconfident, but go into the game with a positive attitude and hopefully get the job done.
Who is the team you fear the most in the CL?
I don’t think we fear anyone at the moment. We are new to the competition and we just want to do our best. There is no pressure on us, nobody is expecting us to win the Champions League, and we are just going out there and expressing ourselves. I think with no pressure, we are producing good performances and when we express oursleves we show what a good team we are.
What is it like playing with Luka Modric?
He is a fantastic player and we’ve all seen that both this season and last. It is great to play with players like him, we have got a lot of good players here. We are building a good team, a good squad to challenge for the Champions League and Premier League. That is what we want to do and to have players like Luka can only be good for the team. It is always a long season, there are plenty of games and it is a squad game. The players here can do the job no matter who is playing and that shows how good we have been this season despite all the injuries. Against AC Milan the players that came in did a fantastic job and showed they are capable.
How is Harry Redknapp as a manager?
He lets the players express themselves and I think that is the best way to be. If you let a player do what he does best then you will get the best out of them and I think that’s definitely been the case with the squad this year. He has let us express ourselves and that has shown on the pitch with our performances and results.
Do you think the way Spurs came from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-2 earlier this season was a defining moment in the Club’s season?
It gave us a lot of belief. Being 2-0 down in a local derby is never easy, the fans were obviously fighting for their pride and we came in at half-time a bit deflated but the manager got us up for the game, it definitely wasn’t over and if we got the next goal we knew we were right back in it. We came back out for the second half and believed in ourselves and it confirmed to us that we are capable of beating any team if we are on our game. That has certainly spurred us on for the rest of the season and we saw that again last week against AC Milan.
You have lived away from Wales for a long time now but do you miss it?
I think everyone misses their home where they come from and obviously their family and friends who they’ve spent most of their lives with. Sometimes it is difficult but I always try to get my friends and family down here to stay with me which is nice. Sometimes you do miss home but that’s life at the end of the day.
Wales have an exciting group of players come through right now, what are your thoughts?
We have a lot of good youngsters coming through now that are playing for good teams in the Premier League, our aim in the future has to be to qualify for a major tournament and hopefully sooner rather than later. We just need to keep improving as a team. We have a new manager in Gary Speed who has great belief in us so hopefully we can achieve something that no Wales team has done in some time.
Who is the best player in the world in your opinion right now?
I think Messi and Ronaldo have shown year in year out what good players they are by scoring and creating a lot of goals. For me, these two are the best in the world right now.
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment I am at Tottenham and I am happy here. I am enjoying my football and hopefully I can keep improving.
What are the aims for Tottenham?
We are not too far away from the leaders Man United in my opinion. We have played them twice and given them good games and done well against our other closest rivals too. We are definitely close to challenging for a title but our main aim this season is to make the Champions League again. It is still going to be a difficult thing to do with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal competing too but we have to keep concentrating on our game, continue to work hard and hopefully we can make the top four and maybe even get close to the title.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There has definitely been a few, certainly a few games stand out. Beating Arsenal from 2-0 down not so long ago, beating Inter Milan is right up there too and then on a personal level scoring a hat trick at the San Siro was obviously great for me. Sadly we didn’t win on the night but a moment like that for me was special.
